If you've bought a new car in the last three years, you may drive a vehicle that features a blind spot detection system. The blind spot detection system activates when you're changing lanes, to let you know (with a flashing light or a vibrating steering wheel) when a car has entered your blind spot. Very helpful when trying to avoid collisions on a busy freeway!

This system - along with the rearview camera that newer model cars are sporting these days - can really help to increase driver safety, which is great. But what about those of us whose ultimate driving machines don't offer these high tech features? Or those of us who are a bit leery of becoming reliant on this kind of technology (because we've seen Terminator 2 just a few too many times)?

Fortunately, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has provided recommendations for positioning your side mirrors that can help virtually eliminate blind spots, saving you the trouble of glancing over your shoulder (and potentially eliminating the need for a complex blind spot detection system as well) when you're changing lanes.

This graphic from Car and Driver  shows you the SAE-approved positions for your side mirrors and how these new positions help to give you a clearer view of the road.

Image credit: Car and Driver

If you're used to seeing the side of your own car in your side mirror, this new positioning may take some adjustment. But it can help lead to safer driving and fewer accidents, which makes it worth giving it a try.

Does your car have a blind spot detection system? Or do you think you'll give these mirror positions a try? Let us know in the comments. 

- Rose R.

Photo: iStockphoto

When I was a kid, my parents would pack my brother and I into our red 1984 Plymouth Reliant and drive from Edmonton to Kelowna every summer to visit my grandparents. The car had no air conditioning and it was always blazing hot, but the amazing mountain vistas (and the Three Valley Gap real fruit juice gummy bears) made up for it.

There were no in-car DVD or gaming systems back then - my brother and I amused ourselves by reading books, sleeping, quietly punching each other and causing my dad to swerve on mountain roads by shouting out "Waterfall!" whenever we saw a waterfall (which was frequently).

The memory of these road trips is seared into my brain and whenever summer rolls around, I have the urge to grab my favourite pillow and my sandcastle set and head out on the highway. Where will I start? Probably on Highway 1 - the mighty Trans-Canada.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Trans-Canada Highway, the highway system that travels through Canada's ten provinces from coast to coast. The Trans-Canada's main route spans 8,030 km, making it one of the world's longest national highways (only Australia's Highway One and the Trans-Siberian Highway are longer).

To mark this momentous occasion, journalist and author Mark Richardson - with a little help from the CAA - is driving the Trans-Canada from St. John's to Victoria this summer. In a yellow Camaro, no less! He called his trip the Trans Canada Trek and Mark is writing daily about their time on the road (his 12 year old son Tristan joined him on the trek a couple of weeks ago).

Mark's posts include great photos, fascinating pieces of history about the highway when it first opened, his observations about the current state of the highway and surrounding area, interviews with local car or highway aficionados, contests that readers can enter and stories from readers about their own Trans-Canada travel experiences. His son Tristan is writing too about his favourite parts of each leg of their journey. Family road trip!

Mark's trip is pretty inspiring for any road trip fan - plus, he's sharing great tips on local attractions from coast to coast. You can follow Mark's journey on MacLean's and on his personal Twitter account.

Where are you headed on your summer road trip this year? Will it include a stretch of the Trans-Canada? Share your road trip tips and stories in the comments!

- Rose R.