MIRRORS ON WINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 17, 21 January 1939, Page 8

MIRRORS ON WINGS

A VALUABLE SAFEGUARD

Prosecuted for careless driving, the evidence" being that he pulled out of a line of traffic as another car was about to overtake him and so caused an accident, an English motorist pleaded that lie had looked in his mirror and had not seen any sign of the overtaking car. The trouble, of course, was that the internal mirror showed a clear road but that the rear quarter of the car obscured the overtaking, vehicle. So long as drivers rely entirely on internal mirrors such . accidents will occur. Even turning round in the seat and looking backwards does hot prove that: the road is clear, for the blind quarter of the car still shuts off part of the road and may easily obscure something relatively small, such as a cyclist.

• A mirror on the offside front mudguard, used in conjunction with an interior mirror, is a safeguard against such accidents. The interior mirror shows the road to the rear, and a giance then ■to the wing mirror will reveal whether anyone is coming up on the side.

Some drivers are not content with an offside wing mirror—they fit a nearside one as well. This is useful in turning to the left in traffic, for it reveals the presence of the foolhardy cyclist who, disregarding the direction indicator,'may try to slip past on the left. A nearside mirror is also valuable when parking in a restricted space. It'also acts as a width-indicator and helps to prevent a scratched wing.