Lum wrote:
I like to have the side of my car visible in both mirrors in order to keep my sense of scale, and therefore my perception of distance, calibrated correctly.
However before doing any actual maneuvre, i'll do a blindspot check by actually turning my head anyway, so I figure it doesn't matter
Lum, I'll only use the side mirror position you've mentioned when parallel parking in a very tight space; my car is 18 feet long, and I usually tighten the mirrors if I need to squeeze into a space less than 22 feet long.
I like to have the side of my car visible in the side mirrors also ... when I move my head beyond its normal driving positions.
Normally,
1) If I only move my eyes, I never see my car's edges (unless parking in tight spaces; see above).
2) If I only turn my head, I barely see my car's edges in NYC. On highways this is unnecessary; see the following wider adjustment .
3) If I turn my head AND also crane my neck at all away from perfectly vertical, I barely see my car's edges while driving on highways and the like, where pedestrians and frequent stopping are unlikely.
When I do a blindspot check, I also turn my head. My blindspots are smaller than yours, though. In fact, on the offchance I'm driving a car smaller than mine, I can usually see both the blindspot and the corresponding sideview mirror in the same glance. I prefer calibrating the sideview mirrors' outer edges to the edges of my blindspots, rather their inner edges to the edges of my car.