Before starting a car, there is one thing that should be checked if it is in right position: the rear-view mirror. This mirror is designed to allow the driver to see the area behind the vehicle through the back window.

Rear-view mirrors are complemented by the side-view mirrors, a type of mirror found on the left- and right-hand sides of most modern vehicles. Though these mirrors do face backwards, they are meant to show the driver the traffic to the left- and right-hand sides of the automobile.

Unusually, the rear-view mirror is affixed to the top of the windscreen on a swivel mount allowing it to be freely rotated. Driving instructors say that using the rear-view mirror should become a habit that you do not even think about when driving. The rear-view mirror need always be used consciously.

Know that your safety, and the safety of everyone else on the road, depends on it. By taking account of this fact, the motorist must thus keep his or her eyes on the road while looking in the rear-view mirror.

However, the motorist should understand the limited view that he or she receives from the rear-view mirror. You can see what is directly behind you and to the sides of your car’s rear end. The rear-view mirror cannot substitute for a slight turn of your head when changing lanes.

If out of position, use the little tab on the bottom of the rear-view mirror to adjust the mirror at night. This tab will turn the mirror up ever so slightly to prevent extreme glare. The night mode does not change the view from the rear-view mirror, it just changes the intensity of the lights.

With the current advancement in technology, rear-view video cameras have been built into many new model cars recently. This was partially in response to the rear-view mirrors’ inability to show the road directly behind the car, due to the rear deck or trunk behind the car.

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