Your vehicle’s blind spots are something you should never ignore. All around the world, people are injured and killed because they were positioned in a driver’s blind spot. Due to the significant dangers they pose, blind spots are something you need to be pay attention to every time you get behind the wheel.

What are blind spots?

Blind spots are an area of the road that the driver cannot see using the vehicle’s rearview and side mirrors. These are visual impairments that not only pose a threat to you and your vehicle’s occupants, but your fellow road users as well, including other motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Blind spots can hinder a driver’s view of another vehicle, and can cause serious accidents when a vehicle is backing up or changing lanes.

How do blind spot accidents happen?

The saddest thing about blind spot accidents is that they are often completely avoidable. More often than not, the reason these unwanted incidents happen is because a driver failed to uphold practical safety precautions.

Blind spots are located over the right and left shoulder of the driver blocked by a side mirror, pillar, or cargo in the car. They may also be caused by the driver’s height—overly tall and short drivers can have trouble seeing around blind zones in the car from their position in the driver’s seat.

Blind spot accidents commonly occur on intersections, multi-lane roads and roundabouts because of the combination of reduced visibility and high volume of cars.

Steps to prevent blind spot accidents

There are several ways you can reduce the possibility of a blind spot accident from happening to you. Make sure to do the following when you take the driver’s seat:

  • Adjust your rearview and side mirrors correctly
  • Be aware of traffic patterns and pay attention to the cars driving beside you
  • Check all mirrors before changing lanes
  • Avoid driving in another car’s blind spot
  • Drive at a manageable speeds

There are specialty mirrors that help reduce blind spots. Depending on the type, these can be used to replace your existing mirrors or attached to your existing mirrors. These can be purchased at auto shops. If your car doesn’t come with a rearview camera, you may choose to equip it with one.

Although there is no way to completely eliminate the risk of blind spot accidents, taking proper precautions can help keep you and other road users safe.