What are the steps to correctly adjust the rearview mirror position?
2 Answers
Correctly adjusting the rearview mirror position involves the following steps: 1. First, adjust the left mirror upwards until the front door handle is just visible in the lower right corner of the mirror. 2. The right mirror is adjusted similarly, positioning the door handle in the lower left corner. Since the driver's seat is on the left, the right rearview mirror should show more of the ground when adjusting the vertical position, covering about two-thirds of the mirror's surface. For the left rearview mirror, place the horizon at the center line of the mirror, then adjust so the edge of the car body occupies about one-quarter of the mirror's image. Although many new cars now come equipped with dual-curvature rearview mirrors, these only slightly expand the viewing angle of the left, right, and rear mirrors and do not completely cover all areas.
When I first learned to drive, the most frustrating part was adjusting the rearview mirrors. My instructor taught me to first adjust the seat position to make myself comfortable, then handle the mirrors: the interior rearview mirror should provide a full view of the rear windshield without any blind spots; the side mirrors are even more critical. I prefer to adjust them so that I can barely see my own door handles, with only a small portion of the car body visible. This setup covers a larger blind spot area. I've tested this on empty roads while changing lanes and found that this configuration significantly reduces the risk of not seeing vehicles in the side rear. Before driving, I make it a habit to lightly tap the brakes to check if all angles are clear. Over time, I've found this particularly useful for nighttime driving. After any changes in vision, I have to recalibrate the mirrors again.
