As a driving instructor, I would like to make a few observations:

1) It is impossible to pass another vehicle without entering into that other vehicle's blind-spot or to have it enter yours as you pull ahead. There is a heightened risk and you need to drive proactively to reduce that: You should clear the blind-spot as quickly as possible. Generally within a couple of seconds. Don't linger. As you pass you should place your hand or thumb on the horn so you are in a position to honk quickly and effectively if the other vehicle starts to drift into your lane. You should also watch the space between their front tire and the dashed lane marking as you will see this gap start to close up if the other vehicle starts to drift. I teach that this is your canary in the coal mine because you will perceive the drift this way before you ever note the vehicle as a whole moving toward you.

The same is true when another vehicle is passing you. You need to do the same thing and if the passing vehicle is not doing so fast enough then take matters into your own hands and ease off the gas to allow it to pull ahead faster and get yourself out of the blind-spot.

2) As a driver you are responsible for being aware of what is going on around you 360°. So you need to be checking your mirrors regularly - as a minimum every 5-8 seconds but usually more often as you should be checking them anytime you are slowing or stopping, while stopped, whenever you are approaching a turn, before a lane change or in a situation of heightened risk where you may need to respond to a potential problem by braking or moving into an escape route. Passing is a good example of such a situation. You should always check your mirrors on the approach to pass another vehicle to see what is behind you and identify what your escape route options are should something go wrong. Delay passing if the position of other vehicles do not allow you an escape route. Always strive to maintain a staggered position.

3) The Fit has very good sight-lines (one of the reasons I bought mine) and the large side mirrors minimize the blind-spots but you still need to check your blind-spot by turning your head 90° to the side before drifting. Some here have mentioned turning the mirror out past the point where you can see the side of your car. I would discourage this as there is a reason you want retain a little visibility of your own car. It gives you a point of reference and allows you to better judge the distance from you of any car approaching in the next lane.

4) An interesting stat for you: 43.7% of crash fatalities are of people that have done nothing wrong. They were following all the road rules but paid the price because someone else was not. The best argument I know of in favor of adopting defensive driving practices. Think like a driver, identify the potential risks of a situation and respond in a way to reduce those risks. Live long and prosper!

 

Well thanks for your opinion, but in my experience, adjusting the side mirrors outward has helped me by effectively erasing the blind spots, and I don't need to see the side of my car to know where it is in the lane. I use all my mirrors to see what other drivers are doing. When the car next to you is out of your rear view, it shows up in the side mirror, and by the time it's fully out of the side mirror you are looking at it next to you. If I have to make a sudden evasive move, it's more helpful to know if that lane is already occupied than to see the side of my own car.

I agree about the Fit visibility advantage. Cars have had narrowing windows now for years, and the GD Fit was much better for sight lines than any I drove or tried. I might have replaced mine with a CRV but that horrible C pillar stops me every time. Well, and the Honda road noise problem.

 

I think you misunderstood what I meant. Seeing a little of your car in the side mirror is not about knowing where your car is in your lane but rather it gives you a reference point to better judge how far behind you the car approaching in the next lane is from you. Distances can be deceiving when you are looking in a mirror.

 

well OK. One way or another, all I know is the mirrors being adjusted farther out has helped me avoid accidents.

 

I added small bulls-eye mirrors to the outer mirrors on the fit made a huge difference..
I'm also a "pass with authority" guy when it comes to semi's, I want 10+ MPH going by them and I often turn on my High beams in the daytime in the rain on the freeway if passing just so they can see me. And yea, the fit does need the mirrors tipped out a bit more than average, from my experience its not the worst car for blind spots but its sure not one of the better cars, YMMV...

 

It makes me nuts when people don't GTFO and PASS a semi quickly...And then there is the matter of speed governors on semis and how they will pull out to pass and take 10-15 miles to actually get around the other truck....

I think the Fit itself has very good to excellent visibility, although the headrests in the rear seats cut off a lot of your rear window vision...I just took them out unless I had passengers (rare).

 

My only gripes are the overly wide a-pillar design, and the odd blind spot off the rear corners,,, there is a fairly large hole there, especially hides motorcycles. (I ride too so I'm sensitive to that), just had a lady in a prius try and kill me last week, moved to her right right into me, luckily I had a hole in traffic to dive in to..

 

I believe those are unavoidable as they house airbags. But, yes, they are a pain especially when on a curve.

 

That's true, too wide unfortunately. And yes, you are right about the rear corners as well. Glad you avoided disaster.

 

I was a professional motorcycle test rider for 16 years and rode one of the most heaviest truck routes in the US (Atlanta to Birmingham) so I have a healthy respect for semis. One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is that, after you have completed a pass on the interstate, get out of the left lane. By law, the left lane is for passing only. I understand that some of you may be talking about trucks coming over on you as you overtake them. If that is the case, you should have the advantage of being able to either power through and complete the pass (partially) in the emergency lane (or merging into the third lane) or braking and letting the truck in. But if the truck is matching your speed or overtaking you on the right then you had no business being there in the first place.

Multi-car accidents are caused by cars swerving. If a truck comes into your lane and you are overtaking it, you should have the extra speed and time to make a smooth transition into another lane, to power out (even with a Fit) or to brake out. Professional drivers, and I'm talking about truckers, very seldom swerve. They make smooth lane transitions. And they seldom lane change without signaling. Pay attention!

 

Most people will return to the right-hand lane after passing. One state I've driven in, the drivers camp out in the left lane, consistently. Missouri. It drives me crazy! They block the passing lane and make things difficult for everyone! Their philosophy is, "There are 2 lanes here so I'm taking this one."

 

In my experience, not only do a number of people not know/care to move over after passing, but they will get belligerent with you if you blink your lights at them, asking them to do so. And BTW, Texas is the best state that I have ever driven in for slower traffic moving over and clearing a way for faster traffic. You should be proud.

 

I can't speak for Missouri but here in Toronto that is often an issue as well, especially when the volume of traffic is too high to leave one lane essentially empty. Heading up to Cottage Country on a Friday afternoon, for instance, all three lanes will be full and cars will be traveling above the posted speed limit of 100 k/h even in the right lane. The problem and the danger is the guy weaving in and out of lanes trying to do 130 when the flow is well established at 120. And they don't gain much for their efforts. You see them right at the bottom of the 400 North and an hour later as you approach Barrie there they are again still weaving and bobbing. Around here, these are the guys the Cops go after.

Generally, you are always safest when you are travelling at the flow of traffic even if it means exceeding the posted limit a little.

 

They're skooling you. They feel that they don't need to move over because they are going the speed limit and so should you.

I can appreciate that someone may want to drive in the passing lane when the alternative is they will be moving in and out of that lane frequently as they pass slower moving vehicles in the right lane. This is often the case on two lane routes but you should always move over if you see a faster vehicle approaching from behind as long as you can do so safely. In fact, you should do so before they even get close enough that they flash their lights at you. Another illustration of the importance of watching your mirrors frequently.

 

+1 to that

 

Missouri is a dream compared to Wisconsin. I can't figure it out. Some of the best autocross racers in the country come from Wisconsin, but 99.9999% of their drivers, drive slowly, block lanes, speed up in passing zones and are generally oblivious to the fact that there might be other drivers on the road

 

I've never driven in WI, but I believe you. That's another pet peeve - when someone is driving slower than traffic, but when you speed up to pass them, they suddenly get competitive and speed right up so you can't pass! Older people have this tendency. It's like they wake up when they see another car passing in the left lane.

 

juliane- i had that happen to me friday when i was driving my crew home from a road trip in a rental minivan. mofo in a caddy in the left lane was going like 5mph slower than other traffic so i was going to pass him on the right side and then he sped up blocking me.

since i was in a minivan with guests i backed off but if i was in my car, i wouldve just dropped a gear and passed him anyway.

 

Sadly those seem to be common driving practices most everywhere. I refer to those folks as the anti-destination league. They feel it is their duty to keep you from getting where you want to go. I do like a car with enough power to pass. Drop a gear & gone. :-)

 

I looked for the v-tech smiley but didn't find it.... Now that I have a larger car I have more clout on the streets...and a bit more power for passing too.