Side view mirrors play an important role in providing us with good visibility so that we can safely change lanes. With two side mirrors and a rear mirror there should be no blind spots if you have your mirrors set correctly.
But do you remember those horrible old side view mirrors that really distorted your distance perception? That's why the automobile industry took it upon themselves to make some improvements. After all if the rear view mirror didn't need to distort why did the side view mirrors?
By law car manufacturers must use unit magnification flat mirror glass on the driver's side so this mirror gives you exactly the same undistorted image you get when you look into the vanity mirror in your bathroom.
The new mirrors are all convex which means the surface of the glass curves outwards and they do have an advantage over flat glass mirrors because they offer a much wider viewing angle.
And engineers have also discovered that convex mirrors give drivers a lot clearer view of the passenger side. It's a big improvement over the old mix of side view and rear view glass.
If you use the rear view mirror by itself you have blind spots that can be very dangerous when you are making lane changes. It wasn't that many years ago that cars only came with the rear view mirror and perhaps the driver's side mirror. But statistics showed those vehicles that had three mirrors where much less likely to be involved in an accident.
It doesn't matter that "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear." What matters is you see these other drivers coming up on the side of your car so before you change lanes you look, see, and wait until it's clear which means you are much less likely to have an accident.
For years government law has required manufacturers to print the words "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" on the passenger side mirror.
The government also regulates and has many standards that dictate the curvature that the convex mirrors must have. Regulations say that the curvature of the mirror must not be more than 65 inches and must be at least 35 inches.
Those that drive the freeway love convex mirrors because they can so easily see the traffic on the ramps. The visibility is excellent! The only worry is misjudging the distance but most drivers are smarter than that using their rear mirror to get the true distance.
If your car does not have a passenger side mirror you should consider adding one. You can easily purchase an after market mirror online. If you have an older vehicle with the older style mirrors you can also replace these with the newer style.
There are many great automotive parts sites online that provide a full range of side view mirrors for all makes and models. And best of all the pricing is great saving you a great deal!