We use them daily and without them it would be impossible to drive. Rearview mirrors are an extension of our vision. For 50 years, when they were created, they have had the same function: to help us see what is around us, to expand our field of vision and to know if there are other vehicles circulating on our road. In this way, we will know if we can move freely and safely.
The regulation of Royal
Decree 2822/1998, of December 23, in Annex III, defines the rear-view mirror as
a “device whose purpose is to allow, in the field of vision defined in the
current regulation that is included in Annex I, clear visibility to the
rear and to the sides of the vehicle, except for complex devices such as
periscopes”.
Although it is mandatory
to carry a specific number of mirrors in a car, there are many that do not
pass the ITV for not having them in order. This is why it is very
important to know which mirrors are mandatory in a vehicle for auto for trade
Mandatory car mirrors
Just as there is a
duty to have car insurance, all vehicles
are required to carry a minimum of 2 mirrors by law, even if we have 3. It
is mandatory to carry the left mirror (that of the driver's
seat) and the central one. In the event that the left was disabled,
the right mirror would become mandatory. When both are enabled, the right
mirror is only optional.
Mirrors must meet a series of
characteristics to be homologated:
- The left
mirror should allow a visibility of up to 10 meters behind and
about 2.5 meters to the side.
- The interior
mirror must allow the rear part of the road to be seen in a
vertical longitudinal plane.
- In
the case of the right mirror, its visibility should be 20
meters from the rear and around 4 meters from the side.
These conditions are
applicable to all cars or vehicles with up to 9 seats, including the driver.
How
should the mandatory car mirrors be placed?
The law regulates the rear
view mirrors in their dimension, placement, and angle of vision, casing
and resistance.
There are some general
rules. For example, the contour that exists between the glass and the
mirror housing should not be more than 2.5mm in surface around the perimeter,
or the design of the part that fixes the mirror to the car, which must be able
to rotate and give way. In the event of an accident in the same direction in
which the impact occurs.
The placement of the
mirrors, as we have already mentioned above, is another factor to take into
account to make good use of the mandatory mirrors in a car. They must be
positioned so that the driver just has to move his eyes to know which
vehicles are driving around him. The best time to place the mirrors of
your car is before starting, on a flat road and when you have no vehicle
behind.
On the other hand, both the
left mirror and the interior, which are mandatory mirrors in a car, must
be convex by law. In this way they prevent objects from
being seen in a larger size and the driver's vision from being distorted.
If we want to avoid having
problems with the blind spot or dead center, a small curved mirror can be
installed. The problem with this type of mirror is that it can distort the
distances or the size of the objects, since the curvature of the glass outwards
is greater. It works like a wide angle.
