Blind spots are the areas around your vehicle that you can’t see using your side mirrors or rearview mirror. We encounter blind spots every day while driving, but the fact that they’re invisible makes them easy to overlook. The truth is that many people aren’t seeing the full picture when it comes to their vehicle’s blind spots. Find out why blind spots are such a problem for drivers (plus tips for avoiding a blind spot accident) from the Quad Cities car accident lawyers at Winstein, Kavensky & Cunningham.
Blind Spot Accident Statistics
In its annual Traffic Safety Facts reports, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not specifically track blind spot accidents. Instead, the agency records the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents in which “a driver’s vision was obscured”. This broad category includes not only vehicle blind spots, but also visual impairment caused by rain, snow, glare, lights, buildings, trees, etc.
According to the most recent Traffic Safety Facts report, driver vision obstruction was a factor in approximately 3% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2019. (For comparison, about 3.1% of fatal accidents were caused by overcorrecting, and roughly 2.4% were caused by fatigued driving or falling asleep at the wheel.) In total, there were 1,543 fatal traffic accidents involving a driver whose vision was obscured.
Another NHTSA report analyzing crash data from 2011 to 2015 also found that obscured vision was a factor in 3% of all fatal crashes (and about 3% of all police-reported accidents) during the five-year reporting period. The report also noted that vision obstruction was a factor far more often in accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists than other cars—anywhere from 8% to 10% of pedestrian accidents and 7% to 8% of bike accidents involved a driver whose vision was obscured by a blind spot or another obstacle.
Locating the Blind Spots on Your Car
To understand how blind spots cause problems, you should first know where they are located on your vehicle. This may vary based on what type of car you drive, your height, and how well-adjusted your mirrors are.
In general, the biggest blind spots to be aware of in most passenger vehicles are your rear quarter blind spots. These are located towards the back of your vehicle on both sides. Vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes slightly behind you are the most likely to be in these blind spots, with motorcycles, bicyclists, and pedestrians at the highest risk due to their small size.
Most cars also have a front and rear blind spot. The rear blind spot is of most concern when you’re backing out of a driveway or parking lot. Pedestrians, particularly young children and the elderly are at high risk of being hit by a car backing up if they are in its blind spot.
Your car may also have a blind spot directly in front of it, particularly if you drive a vehicle that is higher off the ground, such as an SUV or pickup truck. Your car may even have a blind spot caused by the A-pillar (also known as a windshield pillar) towards the front sides of your vehicle. Finally, cargo, headrests, and passengers in the backseat may also cause vehicle blind spots.
How to Check Your Blind Spots
Once you know where your major blind spots are located, you can take preventative measures to ensure that you’re checking your blind spots efficiently and safely while driving.
Adjust Your Mirrors
There are a few ways to do this. Using the more traditional method, you line up your rearview mirror until your view is straight out of your rear window while you’re sitting normally in the driver’s seat—you shouldn’t have to move your head or body to get the best view.
For the side mirrors, start by toggling the side-to-side controls on the left side mirror. You can rest your head against the window, then adjust the mirror so that you can barely see the edge of your vehicle inside it. Adjust the mirror’s vertical position to a position that is comfortable to you and allows you to see curbs as well as taller vehicles in traffic. For the right side mirror, move your head to be in line with your car’s center console, then repeat the adjustments so that you can just barely see your own car in the right side mirror.
An alternative to standard mirror adjustments is to use the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) method. This method, first published in a paper in 1995, purportedly eliminates all blind spots but can take a little getting used to. The SAE method recommends adjusting your side mirrors as far outwards as possible so that you cannot see your vehicle in your side mirrors. According to proponents, this eliminates the need to perform the over-the-shoulder checks.
Use Your Turn Signal
If you’re planning on changing lanes or merging, it’s a good idea to preemptively put on your turn signal to give drivers around you a chance to either pass you, slow down, or make their own maneuvers.
Check All Your Mirrors
Start by checking your rearview mirror for any traffic behind you. If you’re moving into the right lane, check your right-side mirror. If you’re moving into the left lane, check your left-side mirror. You should look for both motorists who are right behind you and those further behind who may be accelerating quickly.
Do a Quick Shoulder Check
If your mirrors are properly adjusted per the SAE method, you shouldn’t have any blind spots and shouldn’t need to do a shoulder check before changing lanes or merging. However, if you can see your vehicle in your side mirrors, a quick shoulder check is essential to cover all your blind spots. Be careful to keep your hands firmly on the steering wheel while doing a shoulder check so that you don’t inadvertently veer out of your lane. You should also keep shoulder checks short so that you don’t rear-end the vehicle in front of you.
If your car is equipped with a blind spot camera or warning system, these tools can be especially helpful while changing lanes. That being said, experts still recommend checking your mirrors and not relying 100% on blind spot cameras.
Injured in a Blind Spot Accident?
If you or a loved one has been injured in a sideswipe collision or other type of blind spot accident through no fault of your own, you could be entitled to significant compensation for your injuries, medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and more. But if you find that the insurance company of the driver who hit you doesn’t return your calls or tries to pin the blame on you, you’ll need an experienced car accident attorney to secure the injury settlement you deserve.
To get a free, no-obligation consultation with a Quad Cities personal injury lawyer at Winstein, Kavensky & Cunningham, give us a call at (309) 794-1515. You can also connect online with one of our LiveChat agents, or send us a brief message about your case.
Our legal team is available for home and hospital visits as well as evening and weekend appointments. In addition, should you decide to move forward with our services, you won’t pay us any fees unless we obtain a financial recovery on your behalf.