I was surprised to read the teaser for the March 2010 Car and Driver article on removing blind spots. Surprised because I was taught this by my driver education teach in 1980 ! Perhaps 30 years is not too long for a good safety tip to move mainstream. (fig 1 & 4 show the recommended views while fig 2 & 5 show what most drivers actually use).

 
photo credit and full article: Car and Driver