Rear view mirror-the most interesting facts about it

The idea for a rear view mirror made its introduction in 1906 in Dorothy Levitt’s book “The Woman and the Car” when she drew a parallel by mentioning that  a woman should carry a mirror in a convenient place so that whilst driving in traffic she could hold it up periodically to see what would be behind her. In 1911 at the Indianapolis 500, Ray Harroun mounted a mirror on his motor vehicle which is said to be the earliest known use of a rear view mirror.

The most important part of your vehicle is the rear view mirror. It enables you to see what is behind you when you drive and also use it when you need to switch lanes or to use it when you are rear parking between two vehicles. It is going to be impossible to be turning your head backwards to see what is behind you all the time, but with a rear view mirror fixed in front of you, you could momentarily look up to see the scene behind you.

The rear view mirror is normally fitted to the top of the front windscreen and the images could be viewed through the rear windscreen. The driver needs to know as much as possible what is behind him and for this reason the rear view mirror is convex. This is because a convex mirror diminishes size and distance and therefore much could be seen. A flat mirror shows exact locations and this will not be able to gauge the depth of traffic behind. The rear view mirror is fitted with a swivel head so that it could be used to adjust the mirror until the driver is satisfied that he has the best view of the rear. The rear view mirror is also useful for checking on children travelling in the rear seat, without the need to turn your body around. You can see them by simply lifting your eyes off the road for a few minutes to take a look.

The rear view mirror has come along way since its introduction in early 1900. The modern mirrors help reduce the glare from oncoming headlights, there are models with a camera fitted onto them so that they will show what is immediately behind the vehicle, especially when there is a boot to obscure vision.

To keep one safe on the road a rear view mirror is an absolute necessity. Built to break on collision it could break off for the slightest mishap. In that event be sure to replace it as soon as possible. It could save your life.