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This photograph, released by Ford today, shows yet another situation
where setting the exterior mirrors "wide" would
affect safety.
There is a simple, sensible rule about
vehicle windows that unthinking people often choose to sneer
at, and that is: "Keep all windows clean and clear."
Putting stickers on any window in a vehicle, in a
position where they can interfere with a driver's view, either
when looking directly through the window or when looking
through the interior mirror, is thoughtless to say the least.
It is in the same category as dangling anything from
the interior mirror.
There is no good excuse for doing
these things and good safety reasons not to do
them.
To counter the inevitable
criticism our opinion will attract, we will ask a question. We
wonder (for example): How many motorcyclists have died around
the world because a sticker or something hanging from an
interior mirror have momentarily veiled the rider's presence
when another driver briefly glanced for a view?
("A-pillars" are, of course, also very dangerous in
this respect.) -- If anyone even remotely thinks the answer
might be "none" then sadly you are very much
mistaken.
The latest trend of setting exterior mirrors to give a
"wide" view is seriously misguided for at least
eight reasons, despite the fact that even the Society
of Automotive Engineers misguidedly subscribes to it.
To view the DSA page on the only correct and safe way to set
exterior mirrors, click
here. |
February 4, 2005: 