Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Interior Rear View Mirror

I find myself agreeing with Howard on this one (also Kev ref the makeup)

It's all a matter of programming yourself to use the side mirrors correctly and adjust them to give the best overall visibility.

It may even be that it's a safer bet in many instances as it will stop the lazy, quick glance in the central mirror with its inherent poor all round visibility and then manoeuvring without a clear picture of what is going on outside that mirrors field of view.

I've tried it by covering it up and it was surprising how quickly one gets used to using the side mirrors. Much the same as when I drive vans.

I have the rod mirror in the centre and it does restrict visibility quite a bit on tighter left hand bends unless you alter your head position.

The rear view mirror was essential in my 4/4. I did swap the OEM big plastic one for a nice and diminutive chrome offering from lifes though.

Reason it was essential was the the mirror on the passenger side was useless and simply impossible to get it to point in the direction it needed to be. Just not physically possible\
I found I was not alone with this issue and guys had retro fitted after market convex mirrors to overcome this.

So I'm guessing Morgan intended us to use the centre mirror as without it I'd have been stuffed for 100% view of what's going on around me.

I just cannot see why an interior mirror blocks any view! Ok, a dash mounted one may get you sitting up in your seat when parking...but a rod mounted one towards the top of the screen blocking the view? Naah!

If it's mounted up near the top of the screen then with the Hood Up you have to angle the mirror downwards to see out of the window and you end up with a great view of the spare wheel so not much use.

I don't have strong views either way on having a central lookbackascope, but there's a very good reason to move your head when looking. If you just flick your eyes from position A to position B, your brain blanks out any image being processed while the eyes are moving. If on the other hand you move your head, the brain will provide you with images whilst you are moving.

You can try this yourself if you wish, but it's an important part of training pilots apparently. "Move your head or you're dead".

You're right about the pilot training although I never actually heard the "move your head or you're dead" phrase.

However, the circumstances are completely different.

When flying you are taught to scan the horizon for possible threats in the far distance. Many times these can still be a dot on the horizon set against a very grey background and would be very difficult to spot with a casual glance.

So you systematically move your head across the horizon and up and down depending on the field of view (including sideways) and pause for a few seconds to allow the eyes and more importantly the brain to take a picture.

If the eyes are constantly moving the brain will not have time to take in the shot and will miss things.

Why is this different to driving? Well, if you scan like that in the rear view mirror you will probably crash into something in front.

In flying, if the aircraft is set up correctly, you have time to adopt that type of scanning pattern but in a car on busy roads you don't have time to dwell in the rear view mirrors and a quick flick is all you can afford.

If that quick flick is in the interior rear view mirror you will miss a lot of what's going on in the overtaking zones slightly to the side so I always use the side mirrors and have a quick glance over my shoulder. Which as an aside is why I like hoods with the rear quarter light.

A while back I posted a link to a website article regarding the visual scanning/brain interpretation.
The article was from a pilot trainer and described the phenomenum of interrupted recognition when scanning and how it applied to both pilots and drivers.
He described a driver scanning an area and how the brain did not register everything but did “jump” from one point to another creating a form of blind spot.
That description is a brief précis but shows how the way we look and interpret the images affects us and how we can overcome some of the gaps.
As driving is a hugely more complex and congested world than flying it means the effects can be far more frequently influential.

I will try to find the link.

http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/
Found the link.
Aimed at cyclists but also relevant for any road user...driver, pedestrian etc.

Wow, a lot to take in there. I know that I have read this before but it always fascinates.
In response to the original post I still prefer to keep my rod adjustable central mirror. Unlike a van or lorry, the side mirrors on a Morgan are low in relation to eye level and even when large and convex there is still a bit of a blind spot dead centre and close up behind the car within which a bike can sit if at traffic lights for instance.
I agree about the hood quarter lights. Mine doesn't have them and thats one of the reasons why it hardly ever gets put up.

I've been using the Mog for a year+ without the central interior mirror. If you fit John Taylors wing mirrors you have a much better view of your surroundings, I enjoy it immensely as I don't have the idiots who drive to close to my vehicle and try to sit on my tail in my view and mind!.