This quasi-experiment was designed to investigate the effects of the type of driver-side mirror on lane-change accidents. The analysis was based on 407 accidents reported from 1987 to 1992 to Finnish insurance companies, for vehicles with passenger-side convex mirrors and one of three types of driver-side mirrors (flat, convex or multiradius). The results showed that there was no difference between the multiradius and convex mirrors in the frequencies of lane-change accidents to the left. Compared to the flat mirror, the mean effect of the multiradius and convex mirror was a 22% decrease. However, the statistical strength of the data was low; 95% confidence interval ranged from a 51% decrease to a 25% increase. This result was not related to driver characteristics or driving conditions. In conclusion, the multiradius and convex driver-side mirrors, in comparison to the flat mirror, are more likely to reduce than increase lane-change accidents. A theoretical implication of this study is that minimizing the blind spot is likely to be more important than providing an undistorted image of objects. From a practical point of view, the present findings support the use of multiradius and convex driver-side mirrors. (A)
Abstract