Hello there, readers. Most drivers twist their whole upper body around to look out the back window the moment they shift into reverse.

It feels safe. But your side mirrors, set correctly, already cover most of what you need to see, and they don't force you to take a hand off the wheel or lose sight of what's ahead.

Set the mirrors before you move

Sit in your normal driving position and adjust each side mirror so you can just barely see the edge of your own car. That thin sliver of your rear door handle gives you a reference point for judging distance. If the mirror shows half your car, you've got it too far inward. On most sedans, tilting the glass down slightly when you park also helps you catch the curb and the rear tire, which matters more than the sky behind you.

Know what each mirror tells you

Your left mirror shows the lane beside you and the rear left corner of the car. Your right mirror does the same on the other side, and it's the one that catches cyclists and pedestrians creeping up on the passenger side. The center mirror gives you the straight-back view. Together they form a rough triangle, and the gaps between them are where trouble hides. A small object in the lower corner of the right mirror, for instance, is usually closer than it looks.

Reverse slowly and check in a rhythm

Backing out of a driveway, glance at the center mirror, then the right, then the left, then over your shoulder, and repeat. Keep the car crawling, no faster than a walking pace, so you have time to react. If you're in a parking lot, watch the painted lines in your mirrors as a guide, not just the cars around you. The lines tell you whether you're drifting before the bumper gets close to anything.

Trust the mirrors over the camera alone

A backup camera is handy, but it has a wide-angle lens that flattens distance and leaves blind spots at the corners. Use it to confirm what's directly behind, and let the mirrors handle the sides. If your car has a tilt-down mirror feature when reversing, switch it on, since it drops the glass toward the curb and shows you exactly where the rear wheel is heading.

When to skip the mirrors

Tight parallel parking still calls for a shoulder check, because mirrors can't show a low bollard or a child standing close to the rear bumper. Same goes for backing into a spot between two tall vehicles. Use the mirrors as your main tool, then turn your head for the final confirmation.

Get your mirrors set right once, and reversing turns into a steady, low-stress habit. Try it on your next trip out of a parking space, and notice how much less you have to crane your neck.