# Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 17, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709 "2022-09-17T01:22:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/1 "2022-09-17T01:22:00Z")
Enough already! Why can’t they just make mirrors that are accurate? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/2 "2022-09-17T01:24:48Z")
[The Master speaks](https://www.straightdope.com/21342327/how-come-objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear-why-not-the-right-distance). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/3 "2022-09-17T01:24:58Z")
'cause then the T-Rex wouldn’t look as scary in your rear-view. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/4 "2022-09-17T01:29:25Z")
Think about it! In the history of automobiles, how many times have innacurate mirrors contributed to auto accidents? This sounds like the basis for one heck of a class action lawsuit agianst the automobile industry ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/5 "2022-09-17T01:45:45Z")
> [@Michael\_Varn](#): > > In the history of automobiles, how many times have innacurate mirrors contributed to auto accidents? - Ooh, I love trivia! What’s the answer? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/6 "2022-09-17T07:08:04Z")
Because they’re not meant to be accurate, they’re meant to show you a useful amount of what’s behind you. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/7 "2022-09-17T10:22:14Z")
And here I thought that objects in the rear view mirror appeared closer than they were. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r7WVi-7me4I/hqdefault.jpg "Meat Loaf - Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer They Are") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7WVi-7me4I) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/8 "2022-09-17T12:36:18Z")
> [@Michael\_Varn](#): > > Think about it! You first. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/9 "2022-09-17T12:54:32Z")
Fun fact: Objects in the mirror are actually further than they appear. If you measure the location of the images, they’re only a few inches behind the surface of the glass. But objects in the mirror are also much, much larger than they appear, and people sometimes mistake size for distance. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/10 "2022-09-17T13:19:39Z")
> [@Michael\_Varn](#): > > In the history of automobiles In the history of automobiles how long have mirrors not been flat? Think about it! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/11 "2022-09-17T18:21:14Z")
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways? Think about it! Now, I’m not saying it’s aliens… ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/12 "2022-09-17T22:44:07Z")
To clarify, if you make a driving decision, especially a split second decision, based on visual information obtained from an inaccurate mirror you may be found at fault if an accident happens because of that decision. The point is, you may be able to make a case in court that it was the inaccurate mirror that contributed in some degree to the accident, and that you were not entirely at fault. Useing this defense in traffic court may not work for you individually, but a class action law suit could gain some traction. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/13 "2022-09-17T22:45:04Z")
And if you had a mirror that gave you a limited field of view, that’d be even more likely to cause an accident. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/14 "2022-09-17T22:55:04Z")
Good point, but I think the standard size car door mirror is way to small. If they were bigger, like the ones on large 18 wheeler trucks, they would be much more helpfull. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/15 "2022-09-17T22:56:22Z")
Convex passenger-side mirrors are specifically allowed by Federal law. You aren’t going to win a lawsuit unless you can show the mirror doesn’t conform to the standards (e.g., is missing the text “Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear”). > **[49 CFR § 571.111 - Standard No. 111; Rear visibility.](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.111)** ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/16 "2022-09-17T23:05:07Z")
On a humorous note, if you go to a furniture store and buy a mirror for your bath or bedroom, you will not see a disclaimer at the bottom that says, “Object In Mirror Is Not What It Appears To Be”!!! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/17 "2022-09-17T23:13:18Z")
Mirrors are not actually reflecting reality. Because of the arcane properties of light, the reflection is actually merely a representation of what happened in the past. Think about it! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/18 "2022-09-17T23:15:29Z")
What if the people on the **other** side of the mirror are the real people, and **we’re** the fake mirror-people? Think about it! ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/19 "2022-09-17T23:24:26Z")
Another classic example of how mirrors don’t reflect reality is how it pertains to people who suffer from anorexia and bulimia. No matter how thin they become, when they look into a mirror, they still see themselves as morbidly obese. Is this literal, like some form of a visual hallucination? If not, how do they “see” themselves thst way? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709/20 "2022-09-17T23:30:54Z")
> [@Michael\_Varn](#): > > To clarify, if you make a driving decision, especially a split second decision, based on visual information obtained from an inaccurate mirror you may be found at fault if an accident happens because of that decision. > [@Chronos](#): > > And if you had a mirror that gave you a limited field of view, that’d be even more likely to cause an accident. > [@Michael\_Varn](#): > > Good point, but I think the standard size car door mirror is way to small. If they were bigger, like the ones on large 18 wheeler trucks, they would be much more helpfull. Why compromise between accurate representation and field of view? We could resolve this conundrum by just doing away with mirrors altogether and having the seats face backwards. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objects-in-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear/971709.md?page=2)