Car Mirrors - A general overview
Car mirror arsenal holds various products, all designed to make drivers safer and more aware of what is happening around their cars. While a driver may be confidently striding forward, what may be brewing around him/her may lead to a disaster within moments.
Car mirrors ultimately are linked to safety. Side mirrors are vital for making turns, rearview mirrors for overtaking and so on. But to limit their functions to mere safety would be an inappropriate cap, Car mirrors are doing a lot more.
Take for instance the auto dimming rearview mirrors. Normally, nighttime glare from other vehicles’ headlamps can cause considerable discomfort, in addition to making accidents more likely. Auto dimming rearview mirrors innovatively solve the problem by using state of the art light sensors and detectors that can automatically minimize the glare from the following car. The results: safer, more comfortable drive and fewer headaches. This technology that is used for rearview mirrors had made it possible to expand its uses. Now your rearview mirrors not only show you the cars chasing you, but also a glimpse of the temperature outside, a miniature compass, and in near future, perhaps stock quotes.
While rearview mirrors have dug up deep into functionality, side mirrors keep to a more aesthetic additional function. Side mirrors are no more the bland, sticking out rabbit ears they once used to be. Newer models of every make are having side mirrors deeply integrated into the look of the car.
Side mirrors with matching back began to show up in luxury sedans and SUVs. Soon they became the standard trend, with only a few low-end vehicles having black side mirrors. Next to make a mark was side mirrors with signal lights. Initially the characteristic of expensive cars like BMW and Benz, they too quickly infiltrated the lower ring, with Japanese luxury sedans also having them.
This much for the design, functionality also has seen improvement in newer car mirror assemblies. Electronic adjustments, car detection, warning lights and buzzers are some of the highlights of even safer modern vehicles.
These newer versions of car mirrors can never supersede the basic versions, perhaps due to the very nature of the function they perform. For example, rear mirrors are fitted in SUVs and trucks to allow drivers extended view while the car is in reverse. Without these, the driver may be seriously impaired and the car may hit an object or person while reversing. Other more specialized mirrors include towing mirrors, which aids drivers while towing objects, and front mirrors similar to rear mirrors.