Car crashes go hand in hand with car industry development. As it progresses, the industry itself makes incredible adjustments in the safety of the driver, passengers, and pedestrians. This means that the manufacturers have developed new ways in which drivers and passengers will be safer if it comes to the car accident. This led to the development of three-point safety belts and airbags. With the development of cars that are safe, roads have become safer as well. This meant investing in better materials for road, improvement in signs and traffic light, as well as the introduction of traffic mirrors.
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What are traffic mirrors?
There are few types of traffic mirrors and they are being used on different occasions. In essence, they are used in order to increase the field of visibility to the drivers and pedestrians on the road corners. This is especially important if the curve has a very low angle; this curve looks like a bent elbow and it is very hard to see what is happening on the other side.
The common recommendation is that if there is no mirror to check what is going on and if there is a car going towards you, the speed should be lowered in order to be able to hit the brakes and stop the car if needed. The mirrors are in most cases convex in order to provide a bigger spectrum of vision and provide a safer environment for drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
There are few types of mirrors that can be used in traffic, and the shape and size dependence of the need of the mirror. Convex ones are good for blind sports since they increase the angle of vision and give a better view. Traffic safety mirrors are good injunctions and they can be used with convex ones as well.
Where are they placed?
It is common sense when it comes to the placement of the mirrors, they will obtain the place where they will increase the area that can be seen by the divers when approaching the place where there decreased visibility.
When it comes to the corners and any types of bends, there can be a mirror placed in order to see into the blind spot and prevent any possible accidents. This leads to fewer accidents and increased safety. Not only that this protects the drivers and the passengers, but it also allows pedestrians and cyclists to see and decide on their movement.
If there is a junction that has decreased discernibility traffic safety mirror or convex mirror can be used. In this case not only sharp edges can get in the way, but also trees and bushes, different signs and similar. Once placed on the corner, the point is very clear, to provide a vision of the incoming cars and trucks, as well as cyclists and pedestrians. Of course, the mirror needs to be placed in the right place in order to have a function.
Some do put these safety mirrors in order to facilitate parking and leaving the garage, this has two functions, to protect the driver from the incoming vehicles, as well as pedestrians that can happen to pass by. Not only that you can see the incoming people, but they can see you as well, which decreases the risk of accidents.
How do they decrease the chances of car accidents?
The data on the accidents is changing from time to time and even though there is no explicit data on how many accidents were prevented, the implicit data reveals a decrease in the accidents from the introduction of the safety mirrors.
The idea of mirrors is to increase the visual field of the drivers in order to decrease the chances of any unforeseen actions; this means that by using the mirror you can see more of the environment and adapt the speed and behavior on the road in accordance to the surroundings.
Not only that the mirror is placed on the places where the visibility is low, but the correct placement is very important in order to provide a bigger range of visual fields and decrease the possibility of any interaction with the incoming vehicles. When there are curves on the road that have such an angle that is impossible to see the incoming vehicles, the mirror is essential, since they do not obstruct the traffic, but they also decrease the chances of head-on collisions and going off-road in order to prevent the head-on interaction. These kinds of accidents have high levels of mortality, and with the usage of the mirror, these have been lowered down by a significant percent.
When it comes to the minor accidents during getting out of garage, where pedestrians and cyclist are in danger, mirrors have decreased the chances of interactions since not only the driver can see the potential threat, but the others that are using this path can see the car getting out of the garage and adjust their behavior in accordance to the movement of the car.
Conclusion
Street traffic mirrors are being used worldwide and the usage of these has led to very positive behaviors of the drivers. They are placed on the curves, junctions and on other places where there is a need to increase the angle of vision of drivers and pedestrians. Different types of mirrors will be used depending on the surroundings and the type of low visible place.
No matter where placed, proper placement will enable everyone to see better and see incoming cars and trucks, so they can adjust their behavior in accordance with the environment and behavior of others. Usage of these mirrors has significantly increased safety on the road and decreased the number of accidents that occur in such places. This is particularly important since it decreased the number of head-on collisions which is a major accident, as well as minor accidents that can occur during parking and getting out of the garage.
