The rear-view mirror of a Mazda 626. It shows cars parked behind it.

A rear-view mirror is a functional type of mirror found on automobiles and other vehicles, designed to allow the driver to see the area behind the vehicle through the back window. The Mazda 626 was a family car produced by Mazda for the export market. ... A mirror is a reflective surface that is smooth enough to form an image. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ...

Rear-view mirrors are sometimes confused with side-view mirrors, a different 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. While side view mirrors usually carry the warning "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear", the rear-view mirror does not carry this warning, even though it also has the same convex shape and the same potential danger that side view mirrors have. Convex lens converging light rays A convex lens is a lens that is curved outward (convex): the ends are narrow and the middle is wide. ...

Typically, the rear-view mirror is affixed to the top of the windshield on a swivel mount allowing it to be freely rotated. Certain car models have the rear-view mirror mounted on top of the dashboard. When adjusting the mirror, it is advised to sit in the driver's seat in the same manner that you will be sitting while driving. Their utility may be diminished in cars with large spoilers or tiny back windows such as the Lamborghini Diablo. For the software known as dashboard, see Apple Dashboard Dashboard may also refer to the band, Dashboard Confessional A dashboard from a 1940s car The dashboard of a modern car, a Bentley Continental GT A dashboard or dash board in an automobile is a panel located under the windscreen and... A spoiler is an aerodynamic device attached to an automobile to decrease lift, decrease drag, or increase the amount of force pushing the vehicles tires to the road surface (also called downforce). ... The Lamborghini Diablo (devil in Spanish) was a sports car built by Lamborghini of Italy between 1990 and 2001. ...

History

Although many people imagine the rear-view mirror was designed for safety, in fact its origins are much more exciting. The earliest known semblence of a rear-view mirror appeared in Ray Harroun's Marmon racecar at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 race in 1911. According to Al Binder of Ward's Auto World: Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 - January 19, 1968) was an American racecar driver. ... Marmon was an automobile brand name manufactured by the Nordyke & Marmon Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1902 through 1933. ... Indianapolis 500, 1994 The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, frequently shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, is an American race for open-wheel automobiles held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. ... 1911 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

As per the custom of the day, all cars except Harroun's carried riding mechanics who, among other things, helped the driver keep track of other vehicles during the race. Unable to find a mechanic to ride with him, Harroun installed a mirror on his car so he could view what was happening behind him and be alert to any cars overtaking him. Automotive historians credit this as the first use of a rear view mirror on an automobile.[1]

The invention seems to have worked — Harroun won the race, netting a US$14,250 prize, equivalent to about US$270,000 in 2003 dollars. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... The dollar (represented by the dollar sign: $) is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions. ...

However, the rear-view mirror had to wait for Elmer Berger, the man usually credited with inventing the rear-view mirror, to first develop them for street use. Elmer C.A. Berger (1891-1952) was an inventor in the early 1900s credited for invention of the rear-view mirror, although racing enthusiast Ray Harroun experimented with them as early as 1911. ...

Augmentations and alternatives

Recently, rear-view video cameras have been built into many new model cars. 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 obscuring as much as 3-5 metres (10-15 feet) of road behind the car. For example, as many as 50 times a year, small children are killed by SUVs because the driver cannot see them in their rear-view mirrors [2]. These camera systems are usually mounted to the bumper or lower parts of the car allowing for better rear visibility. In addition, rear-facing radar arrays and back up beepers help avoid accidents while reversing. A video camera can be classified two ways: Professional video cameras, such as those used in television production Camcorders used by amateurs This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The metre, (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... This article is about a foot as a unit of length. ... A sport utility vehicle (SUV) or off-roader is a vehicle that combines the load-hauling and passenger-carrying capacity of a large station wagon or minivan with features designed for off-road driving. ... This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. ... For the meaning of Beeper see pager or buzzer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Because other vehicles' headlights may be too bright, poorly aimed, or left on the high beam setting at inappropriate times, it can be advantageous to have a dimmer setting on the rear-view mirror. Some rear-view mirrors have auto dimming features built in while others are adjustable so that a lower light level setting may be used. Because of this it is advisable to set the darker setting to be aimed lower than the lighter setting. This is mostly because at night when you readjust the mirror to use the darker setting the lighter angles will be pointed to the lower contrast roof of the vehicle instead of the higher contrast areas such as the backs of the seats. A SAAB headlight with combination projector/reflector optics A headlight or headlamp is a light, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as night or precipitation. ... Dimmers are devices used to vary the voltage running to a light. ...

In art

In modern art, particularly music and poetry, the rear-view mirror has become a common metaphor for reflecting upon the past, whether upon one's own memories or a time even more distant. For example, Jane Sequoya's "Scene Through the Rear-View Mirror" expresses a woman's regret for a lost love partly by comparison with the lost Native American people of the prairies [3]. Resources ArtLex. ... Bust of Homer, one of the earliest European poets, in the British Museum Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... In language, a metaphor is a rhetorical trope defined as a direct comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjects. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ...

In popular music, artists ranging from Alicia Keys to Meat Loaf to the Starland Vocal Band have written songs with "Rear View Mirror" in the title. The metaphor is particularly prominent in country music, where it's featured in hits such as Jo Dee Messina's "Bye Bye", Chely Wright's "Shut Up and Drive", Doug Supernaw's "She Never Looks Back", and Julie Robert's "Break Down Here". Alicia Keys (born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981 in Manhattan, New York) is an American R&B and Soul singer, composer, record producer, and pianist. ... Picture of Meat Loaf Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday September 27, 1947 in Dallas, Texas) is an American actor and rock and roll performer who came to fame with his album Bat Out of Hell and for his movie performances such as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ... Starland Vocal Band is an American rock band, known primarily for Afternoon Delight, one of the biggest singles in 1976 (see 1976 in music). ... Jo Dee Messina is a country music singer. ... Country singer Chely Wright signs an autograph for Joe Dan Worley a wounded Marine in Iraq Richelle Renee Wright (born October 25, 1970), best known as Chely Wright is a country music singer. ...