Introduction

Safety always comes first no matter if you're the person driving the car or just a passenger sitting in the rear seat of the car. Imagine a scenario where there are no rear view mirrors and you have no clue about which vehicle is behind you, that would indeed question your safety as well as the other passengers that are present in the car with you, and trust me you wouldn't want that, would you? 

ORVM or Outside Rear View Mirrors are an integral part for your car,as it plays a crucial role in enhancing road safety and overall driving experience. With the use of ORVMs, drivers can see the back end of the vehicle. The ORVM is a requirement for all cars in India. It is fixed to the outside of a car next to the front passenger's and driver's doors.

In this blog, RD Overseas will help you explore the top 5 uses of ORVM in a car and how they contribute to a safe and efficient driving experience. 

How ORVM enhance road safety?

Outside rear-view mirrors, or ORVM, do more than just reflect light; they act as an extra set of eyes on the road, greatly enhancing traffic safety. Their primary function is to provide you a wide and clear view of the space behind and next to the vehicle you are driving. To avoid accidents, there must be better visibility.

Role in Preventing Accidents.

Using ORVM lowers the likelihood of accidents by enabling you to see cars coming up behind you or passing you. Here we help you explore the ways in which ORVM helps you to prevent any potential road accidents.

    • Spotting Approaching Vehicles:  Use ORVMs to monitor vehicles and pedestrians behind you, anticipate their actions, and adjust speed or signal.
    • Managing Overtaking Maneuvers: ORVM helps in detecting overtaking vehicles on highways. To respond safely, keep your speed up, signal, or modify your position, use your side mirrors.
    • Reduce Blind Spots: ORVMs improve visibility and lessen blind spots. For safer lane changes and merging, use mirrors and head checks in combination.
  • Maintaining Safe Distances: ORVMs helps in maintaining suitable following distances. You can be sure you provide enough space for the vehicle in front of you to effectively break in the case of sudden stops or emergencies by predicting how close it will be.

Parking Assistance





Parking, whether parallel, perpendicular, or in a crowded parking lot, can indeed be a challenging movement. However, your Outside Rear-View Mirrors are your trusted companions when it comes to safely and effectively parking your car.

How does ORVM help in Parking?

  1. Distance Estimation: To see greater distances, adjust the mirrors. Excellent for parking in tight spaces and preventing accidents with sidewalks, vehicles, or other obstacles.
  2. Minimizing Blind Spots: ORVM improves visibility, which is important for parking. Making hidden regions surrounding your car visible, which is important in constrained places.
  3. Curbing and Alignment: ORVM helps to ensure correct alignment in parking places and safe parking by protecting tyres and rims from sidewalk damage.

How to use it effectively in Parking?

  1. Adjust for Blind Spots: ORVM angles can be adjusted to cover blind areas. Depending on the car, be sure to adjust properly before parking for safety.
  2. Parallel Parking: To clearly view the sidewalk when parallel parking, park closer without touching it, and avoid curbs when reversing by angling the ORVM downward.
  3. Perpendicular Parking: For perfect centered parking during parallel parking, adjust ORVM to view lines on both sides.
  4. Use While Reversing: Use ORVM to frequently monitor and maintain safe distances from other cars or obstructions when backing into a parking spot.

Lane Changes (3rd Use)

Although changing lanes on a crowded highway may be a stressful move, your outside rearview mirrors play an important role in making it safer and easier to handle.

How does it Help in Changing Lanes safely?

  • Enhanced Visibility: ORVM serve as lane change guards, extending your field of vision to include neighboring lanes and improving traffic monitoring.
  • Spotting Other cars: Before changing lanes, use ORVMs to scan your surroundings for oncoming traffic and blind areas. Watch for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other vehicles in your route.
  • Reducing Lane Change-Related Accidents: By providing real-time traffic knowledge and reducing dangerous lane changes, ORVM lessens the possibility of highway accidents.
  • Keeping Sudden Movements to a Minimum: With their constant feedback on neighbouring lanes and prevention of rapid, sight-limited lane changes, ORVM assist drivers avoid dangerous situations.

Visibility

Weather conditions, particularly unfavorable ones like fog, rain, or snow, can have an important impact on visibility and safety when driving. Even in bad weather, your Outside Rear-View Mirrors are essential for keeping decent sight.

Tips for using effectively in fog or rain.

  • Foggy Conditions: Fog dramatically decreases visibility. In order to capture the road surface and reduce fog reflection, tilt your ORVM slightly downward, you will be better able to notice the lane signs and any nearby dangers.
  • Rainy Conditions: Conditions that are cloudy or rainy might cause water droplets to form on your ORVM, blocking your visibility. Use the rear defogger and the windscreen wipers to keep the mirrors clean. Adjust them so that your attention is on the side and back roads.

Communication and Signaling(5th Use)

Outside Rear-View Mirrors in the vehicle have two uses. They primarily improve your visibility and safety, but they also play a minor yet significant role in communicating with other drivers.

How does it help drivers communicate without words?

  • Lane Changes: One of the most common uses of ORVMs for communication is signaling lane changes. By slightly adjusting the angle of your ORVM, you can send a clear visual signal to drivers behind or beside you that you intend to change lanes. 
  • Right of Way Recognition: ORVMs may also be used to recognize the right of way.
  • Obstacle Warning: If there is a road obstruction or danger ahead, signal caution to cars behind you using your ORVMs when it is safe to do so.
  • Expressing Thanks: A quick adjustment of your ORVMs can be used as a non-verbal "thank you" if someone permits you to merge or change lanes.
  • Police and emergency vehicles: When shifting to the right for lights and sirens, use ORVMs to communicate with other road users and emergency vehicles.

Conclusion

Automobiles must have Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs), which give a good view of the area behind and sides of the vehicle. By making approaching cars visible, assisting with overtaking, minimizing blind areas, and maintaining safe distances, they improve road safety. Additionally, ORVMs help with distance estimates, reduce blind spots, and ensure appropriate curbing and alignment when parking. 

Also, they improve lane change visibility, which lowers accidents. It also offers visibility in bad weather, enabling drivers to keep a clear view and travel safely. Drivers may become more responsible and skillful drivers and make the road safer for everyone by knowing how to utilize these tools efficiently.

If you're searching for an ORVM that can be used for each of those purposes, RD Overseas is the trustworthy company you should turn to. They provide you with all the tools you need to make your journey enjoyable and unforgettable.