Blind spot mirrors

sunnyside

Hi guys,

Are these allowed for a driving test?

I've read that they help a lot and will definitely get them but if they aren't allowed in the test I'll wait until I've passed to get them.

Surely things that make driving safer would be ok?

Alanstrainor

I believe they are allowed, just like parking sensors etc are allowed. However, this does not mean you do not have to check your blind spot, any additional aids must only be used as a secondary means of aiding your driving, basic checks, ie. mirrors, blindspots,etc must still be carried out.

sunnyside

Thank you, I didn't mean for them to be a substitute for manually checking things but I read somewhere that they improve visibility and help with reversing.

Would you recommed them and the parking sensor for learners? JML have a parking sensor, it's about €50-60 euro and I was thinking of ordering that too.

I like easy ways of doing things:)

sunnyside

Afterthought ---if they're that useful and relatively cheap why doesn't everyone use them?

Wishbone Ash

sunnyside wrote: »

Afterthought ---if they're that useful and relatively cheap why doesn't everyone use them?

Most mirrors now have a built-in blind spot area on the outer one third of the mirror (you may notice a slight curve in the reflection). Personally I think the stick on ones are a bit tacky (but each to his/her own) and they obscure part of the real mirror.

Alanstrainor

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Most mirrors now have a built-in blind spot area on the outer one third of the mirror (you may notice a slight curve in the reflection). Personally I think the stick on ones are a bit tacky (but each to his/her own) and they obscure part of the real mirror.

+1, those stick on ones look really tacky. And for cars that dont already have a blind spot mirror built in, those stick on ones often take up a lot of mirror space. And on the likes of my Ford Focus, the mirrors are small enough as it is, i think i'd rather check my blind spot:)

sunnyside

So they look awful and that's why nobody likes them.

What about the parking sensor? Would ye recommend that? I don't care much how it looks, I want to improve my driving so am willing to try anything that would help (as well as my weekly lesson of course).

Wishbone Ash

A bit off topic but it great to see most trucks now with the cyclops mirrors. I think they are mandatory on new trucks but many companies have retro-fitted them on older ones.

Wishbone Ash

sunnyside wrote: »

What about the parking sensor? Would ye recommend that? I don't care much how it looks, I want to improve my driving so am willing to try anything that would help (as well as my weekly lesson of course).

Again it's personal but when I see parking sensors they scream "I can't park my car"!

Stark

sunnyside wrote: »

What about the parking sensor? Would ye recommend that? I don't care much how it looks, I want to improve my driving so am willing to try anything that would help (as well as my weekly lesson of course).

My parents' car has them (they came as standard) and they're the most annoying thing in the world. I've found myself shouting "Shut up, just stfu" at them on a few occasions. By the time you've gotten used to what the sounds mean (annoying: 10m away, seriously annoying: 1m away, ready to rip the things out: getting within a few inches), you'd have learned to park without them anyway.

Wishbone Ash

Stark wrote: »

My parents' car has them (they came as standard) and they're the most annoying thing in the world. I've found myself shouting "Shut up, just stfu" at them on a few occasions. By the time you've gotten used to what the sounds mean (annoying: 10m away, seriously annoying: 1m away, ready to rip the things out: getting within a few inches), you'd have learned to park without them anyway.

You'd imagine that they could be set so they only activate when you're 6 inches from something.

(I saw them fitted to a Fiat Cinquento (spelling?) recently! :rolleyes:)