Wing mirror of a
Volkswagen Fox. Only the outer end (from a visible dividing line) provides a wide angle view from the driver's side.
Driver's control for Wing mirrors, with tiny curb-view button (saab 9-5).
Wing mirror retraction control (
Saab 9-5).
Because of the location, wing mirrors are commonly broken in accidents.
A wing mirror (or side mirror) is a mirror found on motor vehicles for the purposes of helping the driver see areas behind and to the sides of the vehicle, outside of the driver's peripheral vision, or 'blind spot'.
The term is still frequently used although all modern cars mount their side mirrors on the doors, normally at the "A" pillar.
Some car manufacturers allow mirrors to be either manually pushed or electrically folded in, to protect them when they are parked. Passing cars can easily clip wing mirrors that stick out causing damage. However the folding capability protects them from harm.
Car manufacturers sometimes incorporate the side indicator signals on the mirrors. This is due to the higher visibility to oncoming vehicles and pedestrians who would see the indicator signals at a higher height when turning. [1]
They are often referred to erroneously as rear-view mirrors.
[edit] Types of wing mirrors
Side-view mirror with a caution note "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear".
In the United States and Canada, passenger-side mirrors have this line engraved on the lower part of the mirror -
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
This is because passenger-side mirrors are convex to allow the drivers to get a wide-angle view of the road -- behind them and to the sides -- but at the same time, causes objects to appear more distant.
A flat mirror used on driver's side mirrors, on the other hand, would not provide a wider view of the road.
[edit] See also
Rear-view mirror
[edit] References