Safe Speed Forums

As an offshoot to the discussion on tinted windows I am becoming unhappy about the automatic dimming mirrors on our car.

I find I can't see quite as well backwards at night because the mirrors darken in the following headlights. I know it is easy to get dazzled and annoyed by following lights which is why I went for the dimming ones but now I am wondering if this was a wise choice.

What do you think?

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

Sounds like a mixed blessing; quite often I wish I could do something about the reflection of headlights in my door mirrors, other than adjust them a tad till the idiot has turned off and is no longer blinding me.

I quite like a dipping mirror once in a while, but I'd rather be in full control of it myself. Automatic? No thanks.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I’ve not tried them so can’t speculate. When you say dimming side mirrors, are you referring to the same type of dimming/darkening as with sun glasses? Personally I’m quite happy with clear side mirrors, even with the annoyance of drivers who can’t seem to adjust their headlights properly. As I use my rear-view mirror quite allot I use the tilt lever to cut down on dazzling from behind, especially while driving at night on motorways.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

There's a button on the bottom of the rear view mirror (at least there was on the 307 we used to have) to turn off automatic dimming.

First time I realised the mirror had dimmed, I thought I had something in the back seat blocking the light! It took a while to get used to, but in the end I felt the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Thanks handy. I never thought to look to see if it would turn off. When Mrs B brings the car back I'll have a look. (if she brings the car back).

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

Both interior and side mirrors are dimmed automaticall by the light from following cars. It is not too bad on motorways because you get used to the light levels but in towns when someone suddenly comes up behind you then it takes a little while to get used to the extra darkness behind you.

We didn't specify them they happened to be on the car we bought.

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

I have no problem with the automatic dimming rearview mirror on our 807, it seems to do a very good job and is barely noticable. I'm not sure how much effect the higher driving position has on reducing glare from following cars though.

Dazzle certainly used to be a big problem for me when driving at night.

Have got them on my C4, I prefer them as they dim progressively rather than the on/off you get with a manual version, like the pug's it has a switch to overide it with and it automatically turns off wen reversing so you can see properly - wouldn't go back to manual.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

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Good point, for those who have not used one, they have a progressive tint, similar to "reactolite" sunglasses but electrically controlled.

So you don't end up with a view of the rear seat when the mirror is dipped like you do with a manual version.

On my car the interior mirror has auto-dimming but the door mirrors do not, which seems like a good compromise - you are not distracted by bright lights in normal driving but have full visibility for a lane change or overtake.

The automatic sensors seem fairly sophisticated and I've never noticed a problem with the mirror dimmimg when it shouldn't or vice versa.

Mind you I've been wearing photochromic specs for many years so I guess I'm used to the idea

You and me both John but the don't work so well in the car do they?

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

How do you mean? I can honestly say that I've never had a problem in the car, either with them darkening when I'd rather they didn't, or the other way round.

I don't know which type you have - mine are Zeiss Transitions and they don't go anywhere near as dark as a conventional pair of sunglasses even in bright sunlight, but they do "take the edge off" on a bright day. You don't really notice the effect unless you take them off.

Mine don't go dark when I am inside the car in bright sunlight and I didn't expect them to as I assumed the windows filtered out the light they reacted to.

Outside in the sunlight they go as dark as normal sunglasses.

Are you saying yours change regardless of indoors or outdoors. I was just about to buy some precsciption sunglasses for driving in bright sunlight.

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

I use photo reactive sun glasses which were great for driving. However in most modern cars they don't work because the windscreens are tinted to block UV (?) and that stops them working. You may have noticed tht your right arm doesn't get tanned so much any more.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

anton wrote:

It does if you hang it out the window but then as a responsible motorist I wouldn't do that would I.

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

I thought it was the aircon that did that.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Mine don't go dark indoors, and as Anton points out they don't go nearly as dark inside the car as they would ouside the car, because they react mainly to UV light.

Now that I think about it, I realise why I don't have a sun problem. I am also very tall (6'5") and I sit reasonably upright in the seat in accordance with best practice. As a result I am always looking through the top part of the windscreen and the roofline is a natural sunshade. In the four years I have had my present car, I have never once had to use the sun visors. On the occasions that I have wanted to, the sun has been so low that to do so would have just obscured all my vision...

They work in the tr4 but the top of my head gets burnt
And I can't see much in the mirrors 'cos they shake too much

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code