Car engineers have been working on the elimination of car side mirrors for years. Although they serve a necessary, functional purpose, they contribute to aerodynamic drag and blind spots for drivers, often causing car accidents and serious injuries. For Nevada drivers who have problems with parallel parking, side mirrors help, but they don’t prevent car damages or pedestrian injuries that require help from a car accident attorney Reno.
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With new technology, it seems that side mirrors may soon be a thing of the past. Continental, a major company that supplies auto parts and systems to auto manufacturers, hopes to replace bulky side mirrors with digital mirrors and video systems.
Digital Mirror Technology
With this advanced technology, thumb-size video cameras would replace side mirrors. They would be installed on a car’s exterior in the same left and right positions as side mirrors. The exterior video cameras would show views of what’s next to and behind the car. Interior video screens would be installed on the left and right side of the dashboard in the same proximity where drivers now check their side mirrors. New digital mirrors would provide wider views to eliminate blind spots near the side of the car. They would also automatically adjust to reduce glare from sunlight during the day and brightness from other driver’s headlights at night. At the recent 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, digital mirrors were a hit with consumers and automakers. New digital mirrors begin road testing in Europe this year, followed by additional testing in Asia.
The parent company of Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, is currently testing similar technology in Nevada with large high-definition screens that are replacing side mirrors on tractor-trailers. This technology offers added safety for commercial trucks, tractor-trailers, and over-sized vehicles that are often involved in car accidents due to large blind spots when changing lanes. On Nevada’s open highways, large tractor-trailer and trucking accidents cause numerous injuries and fatalities that require the help of a car accident attorney Reno every year. Digital video cameras that eliminate blind spots provide significant safety improvements for drivers. They are expected to be mandatory in cars and light trucks in the U.S. by 2018.
