How to Judge the Distance of the Rear Car by the Rearview Mirror?
2 Answers
Here are the methods to judge the distance of the rear car by the rearview mirror: 1. When the rear car is on the right side of the rearview mirror, the distance is at least about 30 meters. 2. When the rear car is in the middle position of the rearview mirror, the distance is about 15-20 meters. 3. When the rear car is on the left side of the rearview mirror, the distance is about 5 meters, and you need to drive carefully. Here is some extended information about the rearview mirror: 1. The rearview mirror is a tool for the driver to directly obtain external information about the rear, side, and lower parts of the car while sitting in the driver's seat. 2. The purpose of setting up the rearview mirror is to ensure the driver's convenience in operation, prevent traffic safety accidents, and ensure personal safety. 3. The rearview mirror has a field of view issue, which refers to the range that the mirror can reflect. There is a three-element theory in the industry, namely the distance between the driver's eyes and the rearview mirror, the size of the rearview mirror, and the curvature radius of the rearview mirror. 4. When the distance and size of the rearview mirror are the same, the smaller the curvature radius of the mirror, the larger the field of view reflected by the mirror. When the curvature radius of the mirror is the same, the larger the size of the mirror, the larger the field of view reflected by the mirror.
When I first started learning to drive, my instructor taught me to judge the distance of the car behind by observing its size change in the rearview mirror. If the car behind appears very large in the mirror, almost filling the entire view, it means it’s very close to me and poses a high risk. If the car looks smaller, occupying just a small corner, the distance is greater, making it relatively safer. I also used roadside reference points to confirm, such as checking whether the rear car covers distant streetlights or trees—the more it covers, the closer it is. Adjusting the rearview mirror angle is also crucial; I always make sure the mirror shows the road behind and parts of the lanes on both sides. With more practice, the judgment becomes more accurate. Safety comes first—don’t just rely on the mirror while driving; turn your head to check blind spots and avoid accidents.
