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9 minute read Published on Jul 28, 2026 by BrokerLink Communications
If you’ve ever gone to change lanes and suddenly realized, “wait, where did that car go?”, you’ve just experienced a blind spot. Every vehicle has them. No matter how good your mirrors are. And no matter how new your car is.
The trick isn’t trying to eliminate blind spots completely. That’s not really possible. The trick is knowing where they are and how to check them properly, so they don’t catch you off guard. Read on to learn what you can do about them.
While driving, you notice in your rear-view mirror that there’s a car coming up behind you in the next lane. As they start to pass, you see them in your side mirror. But then, all of a sudden, they’re gone.
It’s not that they disappeared. They’ve just moved into that gap between what your mirrors can show and what your eyes can see forward. That gap is what’s called your blind spot.
Even if your side mirrors are adjusted well, there are still zones beside and slightly behind your vehicle where objects can disappear from view. That’s where another car, a motorcycle, a cyclist or even a pedestrian can sit without you realizing it.
Blind spots are a safety issue everywhere. But they matter more in busy cities, where you’re sharing the road more often with cyclists and pedestrians or on multi-lane highways with large trucks.
In Canada, lane changes, merging and intersection movements are some of the most common situations where collisions happen. And blind spots often are a leading cause of them. Not because people are reckless, but because someone didn’t see someone else.
Plus, blind spots can easily hide smaller things, like children or small objects, which can make them barely visible when you’re reversing. Add in things like:
Heavy traffic
Glare from the sun or oncoming headlights
Rain on mirrors
Snowbanks at intersections
And these hidden zones get even harder to manage.
Some of the most common blind spots are beside the car near the rear corners, directly behind the vehicle, next to both the driver’s and front passenger’s doors and anywhere else your view may be blocked by the car’s pillars. Here's what you need to know:
These are the most well-known blind spots. They sit right beside your car, just slightly behind the front doors, slightly behind the driver’s shoulder, on both the driver and passenger sides. This is where many sideswipe collisions happen because drivers don’t look over their shoulder before merging.
The A-pillars are the thick vertical posts on either side of your windshield. While they’re there for structural safety, they also block part of your view.
At intersections or when turning, a pedestrian, cyclist or even a whole car can hide behind that pillar as you approach. That’s why it sometimes feels like something “comes out of nowhere” when you’re about to turn.
Your hood blocks a small area directly in front of your car. It’s usually not an issue at speed, but it can be a concern in parking lots, near crosswalks and when pulling forward from a stop sign or light.
Even with a rear-view mirror, there’s a chunk of space directly behind your vehicle that you can’t see unless you turn around or use a camera. That’s why it’s important to take extra caution when backing out of driveways and parking spaces. When you understand where blind spots are and adjust how you drive around them, you lower your risk of getting into a crash.
Depending on the size of the vehicle you own, your blind spot could be anywhere from small to what feels like one large enough to almost fit a city bus. Take a look:
Vehicle type
How blind spots change
What that means for drivers
Sedans
Smaller, more predictable blind spots
Easier to manage, but still need shoulder checks
SUVs and crossovers
Bigger side and rear blind spots
Cars and cyclists can hide beside you more easily
Pickups
Bigger blind spots in front and behind
Small objects or people can disappear close to the truck
Cargo vans
Large blind spots on the sides and rear
You need to rely more on mirrors and cameras
Commercial trucks and buses
Extremely large blind zones all around
Other vehicles may be completely invisible
But large commercial vehicles, like buses, big rigs and delivery trucks, can have blind zones that extend metres from their sides and rear. That’s why you’ll often hear truck drivers talk about certain areas where they literally can’t see you with mirrors alone. Here’s an easy rule to remember when you’re driving near a truck: If you can’t see a truck driver’s mirrors, they probably can’t see you.
Adjusting mirrors correctly is essential for shrinking your blind spots and improving how much of the road you can actually see.
Before you touch the mirrors, start with your seat:
Sit upright with your back fully against the seat.
Adjust your seat height so your shoulders are level with the middle of the side windows.
Position your seat so you can fully press the pedals without locking your knee or stretching.
Remember, you want to be able to turn your head easily when you need to.
Now adjust your rear-view mirror so you can see directly out the centre of your back window without needing to move your head.
Lean your head slightly toward the driver’s side window and move the mirror outward until you barely see the side of your car. Then sit back normally.
Now, lean slightly toward the centre of the car. Adjust the passenger side mirror outward the same way. This will help you see more of the adjacent lanes instead of your own door.
As a car passes you, it should move smoothly from your rear-view mirror into your side mirror and then into your peripheral vision without disappearing for long stretches. If you’re still seeing a lot of your own car in the mirrors, repeat steps three and four.
Even the best mirror setup can’t fully eliminate blind spots. That’s why you want to make scanning part of how you normally drive:
Before you move into another lane or merge, actually turn your head far enough to see just behind your shoulder to look into the lane you’re about to enter. This will help you see anything beside you that your mirrors can’t.
Your mirrors and windows show you most of what’s around you, but there’s still a narrow space where another vehicle can sit without being seen. That’s exactly why the shoulder check matters.
A-pillar blind spots can completely hide pedestrians and cyclists when you’re turning or entering an intersection. Take an extra moment to look both ways before you go. That’s one of the reasons why it’s often recommended to wait three seconds after coming to a complete stop before proceeding.
Instead of thinking of blind spot checks as a special thing, build them into your everyday driving:
Before changing lanes
When merging onto highways
When pulling out of parking spaces or driveways
When turning at intersections
When backing up
Checking your mirrors and adjusting them now and then keeps you more aware of what’s happening around you. Once it becomes a habit, you won’t even have to think about it.
A lot of newer cars come with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that are designed to help you become more aware of your surroundings. There are also features you can buy to add to your vehicle. Some of these features include the following:
Blind spot mirrors are small, curved add-on mirrors that stick onto your side-view mirrors to help you see areas that are normally hard to spot. They’re especially handy for things like reversing and they can help reduce your blind spots a bit.
Blind spot detection can help lower your risk of a collision by letting you know when something’s beside you. These warning systems use sensors or cameras to watch the areas around your car that are hardest to see. If something enters your blind spot when you’re about to move or while you’re driving, you’ll either:
See a light in the side mirror
Hear a chime
See a flashing red or yellow light
Feel a small vibration in the steering wheel or driver’s seat
But while these systems are a great help, they don’t replace driver attention.
In some cars, blind spot intervention systems will actually help stop a bad lane change by lightly braking or nudging the steering if it senses another vehicle in your blind spot.
Rear cameras help make backing up much easier and safer, especially around kids, pets or low objects. Some vehicles also use 360° camera systems that give you a bird’s-eye view when your vehicle is stopped or maneuvering in tight spaces.
As helpful as all of this is, it isn’t always perfect:
Sensors can get covered in snow, slush, salt, ice or dirt and stop working properly
Slow stop-and-go traffic can sometimes confuse sensors
Motorcycles, bikes or very small vehicles don’t always trigger blind spot systems
The systems only help if you notice the alert and respond to it
Even with mirrors and technology, physically turning your head is still one of the most effective ways to spot what’s beside you. If your next car has blind-spot monitoring or other safety technology, check with a local broker if it’ll qualify you for a safety discount on your car insurance.
Blind-spot collisions don’t always happen at highway speeds. In fact, they frequently happen in areas like parking lots, school zones, shopping centres and residential streets, where:
Parked cars can block sightlines
Kids and pets can disappear between cars
People may walk behind reversing vehicles
That’s why slowing down and taking a moment to look around can make all the difference.
Blind spot accidents are common and often involve side damage, multiple vehicles or vulnerable road users. That’s why it’s essential to have the right amount of third-party liability and collision coverage. And it’s why some insurers may offer discounts for vehicles with safety features like blind-spot monitoring.
If you want help choosing coverage, understanding your safety features or just talking through your options, reach out to BrokerLink today. Whether you’re looking to buy multiple auto insurance policies or want to know how accidents affect car insurance rates in Canada, our expert advisors are ready to help!
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Drivers should check their blind spots any time they are moving left or right. Thus, your blind spots should be checked when you are changing lanes, merging, or turning. They should also be checked when you are reversing, whether you’re backing out of your driveway or out of a parking lot. It is recommended that you check your blind spots more than normal when you are in an area with high pedestrian traffic or lots of cyclists.
Yes. It is possible to fail a driving test if you do not adequately check and consider your blind spots. Most examiners will take note of whether you regularly glance in your rear-view and side-view mirrors and turn your head or look over your shoulder when changing lanes and merging. Thus, you should get into the habit of checking your blind spots when driving, especially if you want to pass your driving tests successfully.
Certain types of auto insurance will protect you more than others, though it depends on the circumstances of the situation. Generally speaking, collision coverage, liability coverage, uninsured automobile insurance, direct compensation - property damage coverage, and accident benefits coverage, among others, can all help if you get into a car accident due to your blind spot.
If you have any questions, contact one of our local branches.
