Wing mirrors

BeenThroughItAll

owen_money wrote: »

Ummmmmm an ex-M15 agent I think

Not quite. But it is always useful to be aware of one's surroundings when gunfire is a possibility.

Strider590

The LH mirror is vital for watching out for motorbikes/etc.
Also for pulling out from parked positions (although you should never park facing oncoming traffic anyway).
Also for changing lanes.

I also always use mine on roundabouts to make sure some knob isn't cutting up the inside when i'm about to take an exit. There's one particular roundabout on my daily commute, where the RH lane leading up is often congested and you find said knobs taking the LH lane to cut all the way around.

I genuinely believe that a VERY large number of drivers don't actually use their mirrors at all. They cut you up by "straight lining" roundabouts, they indicate AFTER slowing down and starting to turn into a junction, they're a menace.

worried_jim

It always worries me when sat behind a car with a misted up rear window, obviously not using their rear view mirror otherwise they would have turned on the heated screen, or a car with no lights on, not looking at there dash to see their speed otherwise they would think that it looks a bit dark on the speedo. Muppets.

molerat

Ultrasonic wrote: »

My first car (a Metro) didn't have a passenger side mirror (from new) - it was clearly viewed as an unnecessary luxury! I also manage not to crash it into anything, in part by means of the advanced procedure of looking over my left shoulder.

As above I'd hope people forgot to fold them out again (rather than the other option that springs to mind of saving a little bit of fuel by reducing aerodynamic drag).

Luxury car then, I didn't have exterior mirrors until my third car and then it was only because I fitted them myself right on the front of the bonnet

Strider590

worried_jim wrote: »

It always worries me when sat behind a car with a misted up rear window, obviously not using their rear view mirror

I use my sides much more than my rear, I think they're much more important, don't forget vans don't have rear view mirrors and many cars have such poor visibility through the rear window that it becomes useless.

Fortunately, my side mirrors are heated when I hit the defrost/demist button for the rear, which also clears rain off them.

If I lost a side mirror i'd HAVE to get it replaced ASAP, but if I lost the rear view mirror I wouldn't really care.

Basil74

I'm obsessive about using my mirrors, couldn't drive more than 100 yards with them folded in!


I did have a girlfriend who had her drivers side mirror knocked off by the dustbin lorry once, she drove around for 3 days without even noticing it was missing!

gilbert_and_sullivan

owen_money wrote: »

Just a thought, isn't it 'door mirrors' these days? I wonder which production car was the last to have the mirrors on the wings? Something mid-70's I guess. Hillman Avenger?

Toyota Century had them till at least the middle 2000's.

Part of the reason for this situation could be that people are buying cars far too wide for their needs and definately too big for their driving competence, coupled with the cost to replace these things @ up to £800 and you can see why.

Strider590

Basil74 wrote: »

I did have a girlfriend who had her drivers side mirror knocked off by the dustbin lorry once, she drove around for 3 days without even noticing it was missing!

Most people drive with tunnel vision, thinking as long as they stay at 40mph nothing bad can happen.

Richard53

I have seen several upmarket cars parked with mirrors folded in, in places where there is no risk of them being knocked off. I wondered if perhaps some cars have a feature where they fold in automatically when the car is in 'park' or something.

Captain_Flack.

Richard53 wrote: »

I have seen several upmarket cars parked with mirrors folded in, in places where there is no risk of them being knocked off. I wondered if perhaps some cars have a feature where they fold in automatically when the car is in 'park' or something.

Lock the car and the mirrors fold in, but I'd hardly say the fiesta zetec is upmarket.