Vertical stripe on the side rear-view mirror: why is it needed
Content
Many modern cars have a vertical stripe on their side mirrors. Have you thought about its purpose and functions? After all, well-known car manufacturers made it for something.
The vertical strip on the side rear-view mirror and its purpose
On old cars produced by the Soviet automobile industry, you are unlikely to find a vertical strip on the side rear-view mirror. Many modern manufacturers make such a strip, but few people know what it is for.
What cars have a stripe on the side mirror
Most European-made vehicles have a vertical stripe on the side rear-view mirror. It is located approximately at a distance of 1/3 of the width of the mirror from the side of its outer edge. On American cars and on old Soviet cars there is no such stripe on the mirror.
Why do you need such a strip on the mirror
Often drivers wonder why such a vertical stripe is needed on the rearview mirror. It is usually solid, but can also be dotted.
There are common misconceptions about the purpose of such a band:
- mirror heating. Some people believe that such a strip, by analogy with those on the rear window, performs the function of heating the side mirror;
- parking assistance. Many people think that such a line helps the driver to park, as it matches the dimensions of the car;
- manufacturing defects. There is also an opinion that this is just a factory defect and such a mirror needs to be replaced.
All these assumptions are erroneous, but in fact everything is much simpler. If you look at the side mirror more closely, you can see that the vertical strip is located at the junction of the regular and spherical mirrors.
The larger part is an ordinary mirror, while its smaller part is spherical. This combination allows you to increase the field of view. This simplifies driving in urban areas, as well as during parking. The peculiarity of a spherical mirror is that it slightly moves the image away, so it becomes possible to see more than when using a conventional mirror.
If the car has a conventional side rear-view mirror, some drivers stick small spherical mirrors on it or install them side by side. If there is a vertical strip on the mirror, the installation of an additional spherical mirror is not necessary, since this is already provided by the manufacturer.
We must remember that spherical mirrors distort the image, so it is difficult to determine the distance to an object or an approaching car. They cannot be used as the main rear-view mirror, but as an auxiliary mirror they greatly simplify the driving process and increase safety.
Video: appointment of a vertical strip on the side rear-view mirror
Why is this stripe only on one side?
Usually a vertical strip is present only on the left mirror. This is due to the fact that the driver while driving should control the left side as much as possible. This solution allows to reduce the size of the dead zone and increase traffic safety. You can also install a spherical mirror on the right, but do not forget about the distortion of the image.
Gradually, foreign manufacturers are moving away from the use of spherical and aspherical mirrors. The most modern cars already use sensors, cameras, and all the necessary information is displayed on the screen.
