To Choose a Blind Spot Mirror or a Blind Spot Detector - or Both?

[BertRemington]

Choose a Blind Spot Mirror or a Blind Spot Detector or Both?

BLUF: a Blind Spot Mirror is a Seeing mechanism and a Blind Spot Detector is a Cueing mechanism.

In a response to a post about the Innovv ThirdEYE Blind Spot Detector, Mikey said:

Then you would be just as abstracted watching that thing as half of the people coming at you, keep your eyes on the road!

A Blind Spot Mirror is a mechanical device with convex reflective surface supplementing the Spyder's mirrors to provide additional visual range without significant head or eye movement. The device may be stick-on to the Spyder mirrors (eg, Autozone "spot" mirrors or TricLED Wide-Vu mirrors) or the device may be additional mirrors (eg, handlebar mirrors or SAENG mirrors). Your "road watch" visual field must be adjusted to view the mirror (in my specific case it takes about 0.25sec for my eyes to turn and focus on the mirror). In all cases, the device is something you SEE with.

A Blind Spot Detector is an electronic device based on radar supplementing your visual field with a rearward scan and analysis of the behavior of vehicles behind you which is then presented in your forward visual field. The scope of presentation is typically three lanes: left, current, and right. The presentation is preferably located within your "road watch" field of view with no head or eye movement required. The purpose of the presentation is generally to CUE your attention towards one-side or both-sides mirrors.

Two separate devices, both useful for maintaining "road watch" situational awareness.

Thanks Mikey, for serving up this opportunity to pontificate.