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Can anybody tell me why all my US cars have enormous side-mirror blind spot? And my European cars have none? Are European cars using curved mirrors to prevent t

by throwaway019254 4y ago

Can anybody tell me why all my US cars have enormous side-mirror blind spot? And my European cars have none? Are European cars using curved mirrors to prevent this? Edit: I just googled it. That’s exactly what’s happening - EU side mirrors are curved to prevent blind spots.

garaetjjte 4y ago
"Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear"
- pfdietz 4y ago
  One of the better scenes in Jurassic Park.
nichos 4y ago
Too much government regulation.
- rswail 4y ago
  That's a crap comment, define where and how it's "too much", considering that the vehicle design rules and regulations have literally saved millions of lives? People forget the Edsel and "unsafe at any speed" from the 1950s/60s.
  - thallium205 4y ago
    Because every SUV looks identical now as a result. There isn't a car enthusiast alive today who could identify and differentiate the top 10 SUV manufacturers in a lineup with their logos removed.
midoridensha 4y ago
American drivers are simply too stupid to be able to comprehend curved mirrors, so the US government bans them on US-spec cars, and instead you get flat mirrors with a warning message.
- CorrectHorseBat 4y ago
  How does that make sense? Flat mirrors don't make things look further away than they are.
  - xani_ 4y ago
  - karlshea 4y ago
    The passenger side is curved, the driver’s side isn’t. But the passenger side curved mirror isn’t the same type of curve as Euro cars so there are still bigger blind spots, and the driver’s side blind spots are huge.
    - midoridensha 4y ago
      Exactly; I should have been more specific: EU mirrors are aspherical, so the curvature isn't consistent. The US government believes, rightly or wrongly, that American drivers are simply too stupid to properly comprehend the view from an aspherical mirror, so therefore they are banned in the US.
      - za3faran 4y ago
        Would it be legal to import and install a European mirror for your car model?
        midoridensha 4y ago
        Definitely not, but it's not something you'd ever be caught for. While some states have safety inspections, mirrors aren't something they check for (other than to make sure they aren't broken), or would even think to check for. But it would technically be against the regulations for allowed equipment. I suppose it could get you in trouble if you were involved in a crash and the other side's attorney found out you had a non-approved mirror installed and this somehow might have affected the crash.
JALTU 4y ago
They have this thing called the metric system, too. ;D
timc3 4y ago
Adjust your mirrors to a better position. The EU solution helps adjust it to what drivers think they need. Here is an example how: https://www.defensivedriving.com/safe-driver-resources/how-to-get-rid-of-your-blind-spot/ https://www.defensivedriving.com/safe-driver-resources/how-t...
WirelessGigabit 4y ago
Yea, all the BMWs I've had I imported European mirrors for. Much better.
alkonaut 4y ago
Luckily most new cars from the last 5-10 years should have blind spot warnings (even as standard on premium cars) so should be a problem that's at least slowly being solved.
- dominotw 4y ago
  They tell you to not rely on it in their manual. So you still have to check manually.
  - alkonaut 4y ago
    A US manual or hazard sticker would tell you not to forget your head outside the car when slamming the door shut too. I don't think manuals directed towards US customers are in any way related to safety, just legal fear. I mean it's the place where a coffee cup can have the text "caution, hot!".
  - Hamuko 4y ago
    They tell that about every single safety feature in cars. Reversing cameras usually always have a warning to not rely on the image, even though basically the only way to actually get a proper view what's behind you in a modern car is to get out of the car and go behind it. I imagine it's all about liability.
    - hnbad 4y ago
      Looking over your shoulder isn't part of driver's ed in the US? In Germany you'd literally fail your exam if you forget to do that even once before turning. You don't even need to move your upper body, just turn your head to the side and look in that direction and you'll cover most blind spots. They also teach you how to adjust your mirrors and how to tell they're adjusted correctly. They also do a blind spot demonstration.
      - anotherman554 4y ago
        Any technique you learned in driver's ed is going to be less effective on a modern car than it was on an older car because modern cars have more blind spots and expect you to use the backup camera to compensate.
MerelyMortal 4y ago
Because drivers are setting their mirrors incorrectly. So many people set them so that they can see the side of their own car - that's incorrect! They need to angle it out to the point where they cannot see the side of their car, that way traffic should seemlessly be visible from the rearview mirror to the sideview mirror to the driver or passenger window.

garaetjjte 4y ago

"Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear"

pfdietz 4y ago
One of the better scenes in Jurassic Park.

nichos 4y ago

Too much government regulation.

rswail 4y ago
That's a crap comment, define where and how it's "too much", considering that the vehicle design rules and regulations have literally saved millions of lives? People forget the Edsel and "unsafe at any speed" from the 1950s/60s.
- thallium205 4y ago
  Because every SUV looks identical now as a result. There isn't a car enthusiast alive today who could identify and differentiate the top 10 SUV manufacturers in a lineup with their logos removed.

midoridensha 4y ago

American drivers are simply too stupid to be able to comprehend curved mirrors, so the US government bans them on US-spec cars, and instead you get flat mirrors with a warning message.

CorrectHorseBat 4y ago
How does that make sense? Flat mirrors don't make things look further away than they are.
- xani_ 4y ago
- karlshea 4y ago
  The passenger side is curved, the driver’s side isn’t. But the passenger side curved mirror isn’t the same type of curve as Euro cars so there are still bigger blind spots, and the driver’s side blind spots are huge.
  - midoridensha 4y ago
    Exactly; I should have been more specific: EU mirrors are aspherical, so the curvature isn't consistent. The US government believes, rightly or wrongly, that American drivers are simply too stupid to properly comprehend the view from an aspherical mirror, so therefore they are banned in the US.
    - za3faran 4y ago
      Would it be legal to import and install a European mirror for your car model?
      - midoridensha 4y ago
        Definitely not, but it's not something you'd ever be caught for. While some states have safety inspections, mirrors aren't something they check for (other than to make sure they aren't broken), or would even think to check for. But it would technically be against the regulations for allowed equipment. I suppose it could get you in trouble if you were involved in a crash and the other side's attorney found out you had a non-approved mirror installed and this somehow might have affected the crash.

JALTU 4y ago

They have this thing called the metric system, too. ;D

timc3 4y ago

Adjust your mirrors to a better position. The EU solution helps adjust it to what drivers think they need. Here is an example how: https://www.defensivedriving.com/safe-driver-resources/how-to-get-rid-of-your-blind-spot/ https://www.defensivedriving.com/safe-driver-resources/how-t...

WirelessGigabit 4y ago

Yea, all the BMWs I've had I imported European mirrors for. Much better.

alkonaut 4y ago

Luckily most new cars from the last 5-10 years should have blind spot warnings (even as standard on premium cars) so should be a problem that's at least slowly being solved.

dominotw 4y ago
They tell you to not rely on it in their manual. So you still have to check manually.
- alkonaut 4y ago
  A US manual or hazard sticker would tell you not to forget your head outside the car when slamming the door shut too. I don't think manuals directed towards US customers are in any way related to safety, just legal fear. I mean it's the place where a coffee cup can have the text "caution, hot!".
- Hamuko 4y ago
  They tell that about every single safety feature in cars. Reversing cameras usually always have a warning to not rely on the image, even though basically the only way to actually get a proper view what's behind you in a modern car is to get out of the car and go behind it. I imagine it's all about liability.
  - hnbad 4y ago
    Looking over your shoulder isn't part of driver's ed in the US? In Germany you'd literally fail your exam if you forget to do that even once before turning. You don't even need to move your upper body, just turn your head to the side and look in that direction and you'll cover most blind spots. They also teach you how to adjust your mirrors and how to tell they're adjusted correctly. They also do a blind spot demonstration.
    - anotherman554 4y ago
      Any technique you learned in driver's ed is going to be less effective on a modern car than it was on an older car because modern cars have more blind spots and expect you to use the backup camera to compensate.

MerelyMortal 4y ago

Because drivers are setting their mirrors incorrectly. So many people set them so that they can see the side of their own car - that's incorrect! They need to angle it out to the point where they cannot see the side of their car, that way traffic should seemlessly be visible from the rearview mirror to the sideview mirror to the driver or passenger window.