The Behaviour Observations of Using Rearview Mirror with Distance Indicator

Abstract

The mixed modes of transport in Taiwan as well as the placement of parking lots on both sides of the roads have meant that car and scooter accidents are caused by the improper opening of car doors. The cause of a portion of these accidents have been related to the driver wrongly judging the distance of an oncoming vehicle through their rearview mirror. In order to solve this problem, the author has developed a rearview mirror with a distance indicator. Furthermore, he created a behavior observation experiment which compared using a rearview mirror with a distance indicator to using a traditional rearview mirror, as well as turning around and using one’s naked eyes, to judge the distance of a traffic cone. The results showed that using a rearview mirror with a distance indicator was not as effective for judging distance as using one’s naked eyes, but it was more effective than using a traditional rearview mirror. It is commonly held that men have a better ability to judge the distance of an oncoming vehicle from behind than women do. However, for female drivers, a rearview mirror with a distance indicator was able to improve the accuracy of their estimates of judging the distance of a traffic cone from behind to the level of that of the men. This method was also more effective for them than observing with their naked eyes and using a traditional rearview mirror.