Back to all

Blind Spot Safety for Oswego Driving

May 29, 2018

Blind spots may be a good thing when it comes to a spouse's annoying habits, but when driving an automobile in Oswego, they are definitely to be avoided. So, while it's not good marital advice, it's good auto advice to minimize your own blind spots and stay out of other Oswego drivers' blind spots, especially when it comes to large, heavy vehicles like trucks and buses.

First, minimize your own blind spots. Do this before you pull out of the driveway or parking space. Adjust your rearview mirror so that you see as much of the area behind you as possible. And, no, this doesn't include the passengers in the back seat. The rearview mirror isn't designed to be a baby monitor.

Next, lean to the side until your head almost touches the driver's side window. Now adjust the driver's side mirror so that it just catches the side of the vehicle. Then, lean to the middle of the car and adjust the passenger's side mirror in the same way. These adjustments will ensure you the widest possible view behind your vehicle.

Of course, you can't eliminate blind spots entirely. There is always an area behind any vehicle where the driver just can't see what's there. The bigger the vehicle, the bigger the blind spot. Toddlers are just the right size to hide in a pickup's or SUV's blind spot. The blind spot on an RV or tractor-trailer can actually hide your crossover! You should always check behind any vehicle before getting in and backing up. And if you sit in the vehicle for a few minutes before backing up, it is best to get out and check again, especially if you are pulling out of a neighborhood driveway in Oswego. No precaution is too extreme if it saves the life of a child.

Trucks may cause about 60% of the accidents involving a truck and a car, but 78% of fatalities in such accidents are with the smaller vehicle. The number of fatalities in Illinois, as well as the number of crashes, could be cut significantly if Oswego drivers learned to properly share Illinois roads with trucks.

While learning to share Illinois roads and freeways with trucks and other large vehicles may not seem like preventive auto maintenance, it does, in fact, go hand-in-hand with good car care. Keeping your vehicle out of the body shop can save you big bucks and prevent the stress of a major accident, along with the injuries that could come with it.

The team at Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Oswego in Oswego urges you to stay safe, and stay on the road!

Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Oswego
1555 US Highway 34
Oswego, Illinois 60543
630-898-6220

More articles from Tuffy Oswego

Service to Improve Fuel Economy

April 14, 2024

The price of gas in Illinois has got people in Oswego talking. It seems that Oswego folks who need a bigger vehicle to carry family and gear, or provide four wheel drive, are hit especially hard. That is why we thought it would be good to review some things that anyone can do to improve fuel eco... More

Oswego Car Owners Ask: Why Do I Need to Change My Serpentine Belt?

April 7, 2024

Any Oswego driver who understands preventive maintenance knows that if it ain't broke, don't fix it is bad auto advice. Replacing a part before it breaks is much less costly for Oswego residents than repairing the engine damage that comes after a part breaks or fails. A good example of this is th... More

The Last Gas (Fuel Pump Replacement).

March 31, 2024

You're heading down the road and you notice your vehicle is sputtering, like it's running out of gas. But the gauge show's it's still got a quarter of a tank. So what gives? It could be that your fuel pump is failing, meaning your engine is not getting enough gas to run properly. While fuel pu... More