However I always check in the interior mirror first, then the side mirror then signal and then do the head check.

I don’t understand why people aren’t advised to always do the interior mirror check first – it eliminates the possibility of cars “coming out of nowhere”.

Also the side mirrors (flat or convex) should be properly set (usually turned further out until you just miss seeing the side of your own car by an inch or two).

Ideally an overtaking car behind you disappears off the right of the interior mirror at the same time it begins to appear in your side mirror.

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Shaun McGowan on January 18, 2010 at 12:06 am said:
I believe the average car driver is not experienced and intelligent enough to use convex mirrors, do not trust your lives with these side mirrors.

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Ray on January 19, 2010 at 4:40 pm said:
Hullo Ann,
any glazier anywhere can do it, the glass they use is plain mirror glass.
You might have to give the glazier a template you cut yourself with some stiffish paper placed over the existing mirror, outline it with a pen, cut with scissors and test the shape to see if it fits neatly.

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Dino on February 2, 2010 at 3:23 pm said:
I think these are a disaster and make it difficult to judge the distance. At night and in the rain at night they are even more difficult to use. They may be OK for people who do not wear glasses. I have a 3 year old car which has these and I am still not comfortable. The only way is to double check by looking over the shoulder or in the internal mirror. Why be distracted by take your eyes off the road in front to look over your shoulder? Why force a double check?
Looking in mirrors should be VERY simple. You should not have to recompute the distance.
BTW, I asked about changing the glass at the beginning and was told it was not allowed.

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Elizabeth on February 2, 2010 at 8:52 pm said:
I have to agree 100% with Shaun McGowan about the general level of intelligence of most car drivers not to be trusted with convex mirrors. There definately should be warning for those renting vehicles. It only takes once quick incidence to result in tragedy.

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David on February 2, 2010 at 9:09 pm said:
Convex mirrors are a huge problem for the inexperienced driver who believe that what they see in the mirror is reality! How often has a car cut in front in lanes creating a near miss situation or heavy braking all because they thought the car in the other lane was further away!
It is an absolute rarity to actually see some look over their shoulder! P platers especially don’t seem to have shoulders. This also seems to be the case for older drivers with arthritis or stiff necks!!

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Melissa on February 4, 2010 at 3:12 pm said:
Convex mirrors can be a little strange at first when you first use them, but given time you’ll find you can’t go without them. That’s why so many cars are now fitted with them, the benefits of them are obvious.

Regards,
Melissa

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DD on February 5, 2010 at 7:02 pm said:
I think these convex mirrors distort the image you are viewing so much so, it makes my head spin. I was test-driving a new vehicle yesterday which was fitted with these ridiculous mirrors and they upset me so much I terminated my test drive. I have been driving for 20 plus years and have never been involved in an accident, so I don’t think my intelligence and ability to drive properly come into question. I think it is simply that I felt terribly uncomfortable relying on these mirrors in order to determine safety in an expensive new car I have not yet purchased!! It almost felt like I was at the Ekka looking into one of those other “silly” mirrors that give out distorted imagery. I have since decided I will not be purchasing this vehicle or any other vehicle that any manufacturers deem necessary to be fitted with this type of circus mirror. No wonder there are so many accidents on the road that are caused by simple miscalculation. If this keeps up, there will be many more to come. I don’t want to be one of the victims. Do you?

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DD on February 5, 2010 at 7:06 pm said:
For those who think convex mirrors are the go….Just because you can use a convex mirror safely, doesn’t mean the person in the lane next to you can. Half the time is isn’t your own driving you need to be concerned with, it’s the other noong noongs on the road!! When it comes to convex mirrors on cars, I could well be one of the noong noongs!!

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Tania on February 11, 2010 at 1:28 am said:
My new Honda Civic has what you call convex mirrors. All I know is that my other car stated that “things may appear further that they are” on the left side, and the right hand side has nothing stated on the mirror, meaning normal view, so this is what I was used to.

I didn’t even notice that my new Honda was any different, (as it doesn’t say that the view is different), until I reversed into a tree which looked like it was quite some distance away. I also refuse to parallel park in it at all.

Does anyone know if it is law, that you should at least be advised when the view is different??????

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PC on February 22, 2010 at 2:38 pm said:
They are extremely hard to judge distance, serve no practical function at all and should be banned. A backwards step in raod safety.

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Uday Shastri on March 10, 2010 at 3:50 pm said:
Convex mirrors are extremely good on passenger side. I find that it eliminates the blindspot. After I identify the closest vechile in the mirror, I look at rear view mirror to check the distance of the same vechile before changing the lane and it works really well.

I have an older car with flat mirror on the passenger side and I find it hardly of any use since the coverage is very little.

All thumbs up for Convex mirrors.

Thanks

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Bruce Grime on March 11, 2010 at 4:08 pm said:
why cannot the manufacturers give you a choice so you can pick plain or convex mirror. I have used both and find that it takes me a little while to get used to a convex mirror – about 15 minutes. give people the choice then the problem disappears.
a greater safety concern to me is that we cannot have mirrors on the passenger side on the front wing of the car. my early cars were sports cars that had them on the wings both left and right side. it means you don’t have to turn your head much to look at the mirrors to see what is behind you and therefore less risk of something happening in front of you when you are looking to the side. as for these people who odvocate looking over your shoulder while driving at [any] speed – don’t you realise how dangerous that is? looking over your shoulder should be for starting out from a parking spot only.

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Graham on March 11, 2010 at 4:23 pm said:
Our MA Mondeo has the best of both worlds as it combines both flat and convex, but the real issue is that modern cars have woefull rear vision so we need to rely on the mirrors. The Mondeo has poor rear vision so you need a decent mirror, thank heavens they are OK.

I drove a few other cars being making our choice, and it seems that there is also a great variation in the amount of curvatore in each mirror depending on the model/ manufacturer. One Japanese Model made my wife feel nauseous and the Dealer actually agreed that they do with some people.

Not at all consistent and not very safety oriented.

Check Google there is a supplier in Sydney of replacment mirrors that I understand is on the books of more than one Dealership.

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GWWitchard on March 11, 2010 at 4:54 pm said:
Motorcycles have had convex mirrors for years (well, most of them, anyway!). They give a much wider field of view, but nothing- I’ll say that again- NOTHING- takes the place of a “headcheck!”. The headcheck has been part of motorcycle training since I first become an instructor in 1991, and was always strictly enforced on the training range. Pity car drivers were not subject to a similar off road training system. Might nake the roads safer for us motorcyclists, too.

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Phil Thompson on March 11, 2010 at 7:42 pm said:
I cannot believe the amount of people on here that don’t look over their shoulder before changing lanes. This is not a new thing. I have held my licence for about 15 years now, and was taught this from day 1 – Mirror, Indicator, Shoulder (MIS). In those 15 years of driving I have never had an accident, or near miss from taking my eyes off the road for about a second to look over my shoulder. I have, however noticed many vehicles in my blindspot, thus avoiding an accident or cutting them off. Maybe this explains why I am cut off by so many people on the road. Have some situational awareness people!

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Wayne (Tamworth) on March 12, 2010 at 8:23 am said:
Regarding the comments re not taking your eyes off the road for anything- scanning, or moving your eyes, is a preferred safe driving method. This includes- both sides of the road well ahead; instruments (all of them!); mirrors; and looking as far ahead as possible. Of course, this can not be done safely if you are using your phone, eating or fighting with the kids in the back seat.
I would like to see positive work done to target the REAL causes of accidents- not just a catch cry (eg. speed kills) that circumvents the truth and is used to justify a new tax.
By the way- why are counrty drivers being slugged a new tax on our rego to fix the city ratrace when our own roads are in such a mess???

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Alison on March 12, 2010 at 10:48 am said:
Just bought a “new” car with convex mirrors & find they give an unreal distance perspective. After only driving for 2 days with these I am considering changing them to regular mirrors. I am doing driver training with my 17yr old, (have done 60+ hours in the old car) who said that he couldn’t work out how far cars were from us. His comment is, “I will use the rear vision and turn my head to get better judgement, I don’t want to have an accident”.

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Graham on March 12, 2010 at 1:12 pm said:
I cannot believe the number of drivers who do NOT do the “headcheck” required by LAW.
I am approaching 70 and have no trouble obeying this LAW. When I find I am unable to do the headcheck I will consider that I am no longer fit to hold a licence and hand it in.
I am also amazed by the number of people who rely on their mirrors to judge distances. This is folly in the extreme.
Rear view mirrors are there so that drivers can have an idea of what is happening around them. In this regard I find the mildly convex mirrors far preferable to the old fashioned flat mirrors which left most of “what was around you” in a blind spot.

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Bruce Willan on March 18, 2010 at 12:47 pm said:
I done it, I have put unleaded petrol into my diesel Range Rover. It is a bad thing for sure and I did not think it could possible happen to me. I have done 50000 ks in last 8 months so I am refuelling regularly, got distracted after a long day and picked up the wrong nossel (the one beside the diesel). Vehicle under repair not sure what damage has been done , vehicle was not driven but ignition turned on. Thought I was the only special one but two other vehicles in on the same day same problem. With the growing number of diesel arriving on our roads it is only going to get worse.

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side view car mirrors on April 11, 2010 at 7:30 pm said:
Convex mirror are really helpful to get refelction from larger distance. But, while driving heavy vehicles it is necessary to adjust truck convex mirror to avoid blind spot.

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Rick Forbes on May 15, 2010 at 6:21 pm said:
New Ford Fiesta WS. Bloody ridiculous convex mirror. In America Ford have an inset in the drivers mirror which shows the true distance. Now that makes sense. Anyone found a magnifying type plastic layer that will easily attach to all or a portion of the drivers mirror and correct this dangerous situation. That may be an easy fix?

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Frank Aquino on June 30, 2010 at 1:13 pm said:
Convex side mirriors are the most loopy idea to come out of the motoring industry, ever. They serve no purpose whatsoever, unless you call increasing hazards a purpose. What? But…but…they tell you if there’s a car behind and to the side of you, don’t they? Well for heaven’s sake – there’s ALWAYS a car behind and to the side of you! What you need to know is how close it is! The convex mirror tells you the other car is way back there, way out of range, whereas in reality its right on your bumper. I defy anyone to accurately estimate distances with a convex mirror. It simply cannot be done, because our brains haven’t evolved that way.
What an idiotic idea! What’s next? Spherical lens windscreens for a fish-eye view of the road ahead?

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Bob Taylor on July 29, 2010 at 9:09 pm said:
Convex side mirrors are nightmare when backing a large boat you need to know the correst distance.Also dangerour at 100k in heavy traffic when its dark and raining taking your eyes off the road to look over shoulder is not the safest thing to do.

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mick on August 18, 2010 at 3:06 pm said:
this is for Dirk, somewhere up in the forum. Der! Did you think a car dealer can tell you about every thing before your holliness takes it out on a drive? And a message for all of you out there whinging about mirrors and stuff! A good driver doesn’t even need a side view mirror on the near side and pretty much not even the off side one if you know how to use your main one and look over your shoulder

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Rick Forbes on September 16, 2010 at 7:39 pm said:
Dear Dirk…..You obviously don’t drive a Ford Fiesta WS coupe! Look over your shoulder and all you see is pillars. If anyone knows of a source for stick on normal mirrors for this vehicle would you mind posting? I’d need to get them posted as I live at Port Douglas QLD.

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PETER OAKEY on October 4, 2010 at 12:41 pm said:
MY WIFE PURCHASED A 2010 GETZ ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO, I HAVE BEEN A PASSANGER MANY TIMES AND HAVE BEEN VERY CRITICAL OF HER HESITANT DRIVING, LAST SATURDAY I DROVE THE CAR FOR THE 1ST TIME, WENT TO REVERSE PARK USING THE SIDE MIRRORS AND NEARLY HIT THE CAR BEHIND.

DRIVING HOME I WAS QUITE DISMAYED AND FRUSTRATED AT THE DISTANCE SHOWN V TRUE DISTANCE OF UPCOMING TRAFFIC.

UNTILL I RETIRED A FEW YEARS BACK I WAS ON THE ROAD AS A REP, NONE OF THE CARS I DROVE HAD SUCH DISTORDED SIDE MIRRORS. MY WIFE GOT MY MOST HUMBLE APOLOGIES, HYUNDIA GOT A SERVE.

MY VECHILE IS A 17FT TRITON 4X4 WITH THE BEST CONVEXE MIRRORS I HAVE EVERY USED .
RGDS PETER

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Tanya Scott on October 4, 2010 at 9:57 pm said:
I have driven many different types of vehicles including heavy rigid ones in my 50 years of having a licence. I have used several types of mirrors – flat, convex, and those with a small convex part to them (these are probably the most useful.) I have found that with spectacles, particularly multifocus lenses, looking at the convex mirror takes a couple of seconds for my eyes to adjust to the different perspective. Apart from the unreal distance problem, this time factor I find is very dangerous as objects are quite out of focus for a short time until my eyes become adjusted to the difference in reality. I cannot see the point in these mirrors at all, as they slow the decision-making ability of the driver down quite considerably. I look in the mirror, then in the internal one and then for good measure over the shoulder. It has simply added another action to passing a vehicle which adds to the danger of driving. I do not even like left hand convex mirrors, but driver’s side ones are really dangerous. At least with flat mirrors you know the distance the following car is from you. Distorted reality at 100 kph is insane.

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Tony on October 5, 2010 at 9:17 am said:
With 38 yrs of driving and motor cycle riding, if this went to a vote I would vote against these convex mirrors. I’d rather have plain mirrors and look over my shoulder. On a motor cycle you do not have side pillars to block your view when you turn your head to confirm your field of view, and you do not reverse park a motor cycle using your mirrors. All drivers contributing to this forum are obviously concerned enough about safe driving to state their view. If you are comfortable with them and consider them safe, that’s fine. But if not, you should have the option to choose or customise to suit.

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Anonymous on October 24, 2010 at 9:28 pm said:
convex side mirrors are crap

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neil on October 26, 2010 at 2:57 am said:
regarding convex mirrors on cars i have just brought a new car and i was not told about these mirrors at first i thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as the cars that were following me apeared to be some distance away but in actuall fact they were much closer i fail to see were they are safe as they give false distance imformation to the driver i belive they are unsafe and a step in the wrong direction.

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G A Cope DSA, ADI on November 2, 2010 at 6:57 pm said:
I am a Driving Instructor in the UK. Convex mirrors in my opinion are dangerous. They give a false image and i beleive they cause more accidents than flat glass mirrors. The solution is very simple we need more mirrors. Three mirrors are the optimum amount on each door, all made of flat glass to give a true impression of what you see. All these mirrors should be adjustable. The first mirror should be used to se traffic lanes on either side of the vehicle, The second mirror should be used to see in your blind spot areas, And the third mirror should be used to see the kerb edging on one side and Parking bay lines on both sides. SIMPLE.

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John Adams on November 11, 2010 at 10:13 am said:
Bought a Getz 3-door 18 months ago. Passenger side rear view mirror is an electric type convex mirror with a curved surface. Last week, while being driven along Parramatta Road, the mirror exploded. Mirror glass disappeared and there is what appears to be a carbon deposit around the inside front of the containing cone of the mirror. No dents to front of the containing cone.
Is this unusual ? Electrical fault ?

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M Flood on November 18, 2010 at 2:12 am said:
I recently bought a VW Polo and have had a truly aggravating time adjusting to the convex mirror. The blind spots in the car are significant, therefore you cannot rely on turning your head to see what is coming up behind as the view is blocked by the body of the car. This makes the convex mirror essential but it gives an entirely false impression of the nearness of a vehicle behind. I am concerned about this situation as there seems to be no way around the problem except buying another car with less severe blind spots.

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vince baker on January 7, 2011 at 5:56 pm said:
I find many cars cutting other vehicles off during lane changes. I have observed that cars fitted with curved mirrors are usually the worst offenders as the drivers do not have the correct depth perception due to the cureved mirror giving them a false view as to the position of the car alongside. I do not like using these mirrors especially when reversing trailers. It is much safer using flat mirrors. If I purchase a new vehicle I will make sure that these mirrors are not fitted. I drive a van with limited left side visibility but if you give the other drivers enough warning of lane change intentions then it is not a problem if you have a blind spot which is an issue with most vans and trucks. Whenever I get cutoff by other road users with curved mirrors I make sure with the use of my airhorns that they get the message that they cut me off.

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Sue on January 9, 2011 at 3:16 am said:
I have a 2008 Elantra which has convex mirrors on both sides. Although there was no warning printed on them I realised pretty early on that they were convex. I just use my rear vision mirror when I want to know the exact distance of the car behind me or coming up in the next lane.

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Sandra on January 27, 2011 at 5:21 pm said:
What surprises me most about about the knockers of convex mirrors is that they seem to have missed the point. Convex mirrors eliminate the blind spot. I have a stick on convex mirror and I love it. Before I got it, I was horrified when I consciously measured the time a passing car was in the blind spot before it appeared out of nowhere. I always (now and before the stick on mirror) look over my shoulder. The problem is that there is a huge pillar which obscures my view. Now, after a few days of studying the distortion – by using my rearview mirror as a guide, I feel like I really know what’s going on around me. Having said that, I would much prefer the 60% flat and 40% convex, which seems to offer the best of both worlds. Does anyone know where I can get one?

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SP on January 28, 2011 at 9:49 pm said:
All cars I’ve ever owned have had flat drivers side mirrors. I drove a new Lancer with a convex drivers mirror and it was ridiculous. Quick glances in the side mirror before a head turn to change lanes were near useless in determaining car positioning, and at some angles two images of cars would be visable at certain distances. In answer to the question, I believe more dangerous, and after 6 months I still can’t get used to it. I can understand convex mirrors on the passenger side to widen the angle, but unnecessary on the drivers side. Will be looking into replacing it with a flat (normal) mirror.

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Phillip on February 23, 2011 at 12:10 am said:
Re: “The “head check” is necessary to ensure it is safe to change lanes – drivers should not depend on their mirrors alone.”

Utter rot! How are you supposed to do that towing a van? Not to mention truck drivers.

Perhaps better combination mirrors are required but definitely not full convex mirrors on both sides.

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Bill on September 21, 2011 at 1:30 pm said:
“No evidence to show Covex mirrors are problematic” ?
Thats plane insane with objects appearing further back than they really are I have experienced numerous near misses when lane changing Convex mirrors need to be outlawed as they are extremely dangerous.

I have been driving for 40 years as a rep and without incident but I must replace these dangerous mirrors asap.

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Convex Mirror on September 28, 2011 at 5:12 pm said:
Although convex mirrors are using in variety of ways, and at the same time convex mirrors provide safety during driving and minimizes the mishaps and prevent road accidents.

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I have been driving for 40 years as a rep and without incident but I must replace these dangerous mirrors asap.

Utter rot! How are you supposed to do that towing a van? Not to mention truck drivers.

Perhaps better combination mirrors are required but definitely not full convex mirrors on both sides.