Why is it that the mirrors are made so that “objects in mirror are closer than they appear”? Wouldn’t it be safer to make them appear to be closer rather than further?
Because it gives you a wider field of view. The driver’s side mirror doesn’t need to be convex because it’s close.
Bending the mirror so that you have a wider view also has the effect of making things look a little smaller, and hence a little further away. The thinking is that it’s better to see more of the scene, even if what you see is a little smaller.
By magnifying the scene (making things look closer) you would see less of the scene. You can’t have both.
The mirror is curved to give you a better field of view. But the curving makes things look further away.
Making them appear closer would give you a “zoomed in” look of barely more than your fender.
It is related to field of view. So, no, it won’t be safer for the car you can’t see in the mirror to have been larger (appear closer) if you could see it. Frequently only the passenger side mirror is designed this way, because the extra distance between the driver and the mirror narrows the field of view even more.
Thanks.
Just to clarify, when talking about the passenger mirror being farther, the significance is that the angle formed between you, the mirror, and the other car is wider. Therefore, you need a wider field of view to compensate.
European cars do not have the inscription on the mirrors. Is it a US requirement?
Yes, it’s US regulations. See here Stock Images, Royalty-Free Images, Illustrations and Videos - iStock for an example.