A driver's rear visual aid

Rear-view Saturn mirrors are found on all vehicles of the American automaker. Their primary function is to give the driver a clear and better visibility of the area behind his automobile, through the back window. At times, rear-view mirrors are mistaken to be the same with side view mirrors, a different type of mirror found on the left- and right-hand sides of today's vehicles. Side mirrors are basically designed to see the traffic on the rear left or right, and thus, give limited visibility of a vehicle's back area.

Rear-view mirrors are located usually at the upper middle part of a cabin just behind the windshield and angled facing the driver. This type of Saturn mirrors are required by the law to have 'unit magnification' and thus are not convex, unlike the other type of mirrors. The rear-view mirror's proximity to the driver provide him or her a wide field of view in just a simple head motion. The passenger side side-view mirror is far enough away for the field of view to be fixed, despite movement of the driver and a convex mirror is needed to expand the field of view.

As mentioned earlier, the rear-view mirror is affixed to the top of the windscreen on a swivel mount making it 'rotate-able.' Other vehicle models rear-view mirrors mounted on top of the dashboard. Adjusting the mirror involves sitting in the driver's seat in the typical manner when driving. The rear-view mirror's functionality is reduced or nullified when cars are attached with large spoilers or wings, small back windows, when there are obstructions in the back seat, or when a trailer is tied up at the rear end of the vehicle. Vanity mirrors attached to sun visors do not meet the adjustment requirements of rear-view mirrors and cannot be used as such. The most important role of the rear-view mirrors is to warn the driver of an impending collision at the rear end of the vehicle, thereby minimizing possible injuries especially to passengers at the back.