Use This Age-Old Method To Bounce Off Blinding High-Beam Lights On The Road
Old but useful.
By John Lim
There's nothing quite as annoying as being blinded by full-beam headlights from another vehicle while driving at night
These drivers seem oblivious to how high-beam headlights work. You are supposed to use them only when alone on the roads and shouldn’t shine them directly into the other drivers’ eyes.
Thankfully, there's a way to reduce the glare!
Most experienced drivers would've known this nifty trick by now, but new drivers, this is something to take note of
If you have a manual mirror like the one pictured above, all you need to do is flip the tab at the bottom of the mirror and it will change into "night mode".
By simply flicking the tab, you change the angle of the mirror so that the headlights bounce off the silvered surface and away from your eyes
Josh Clark from Youtube channel BrainStuff – HowStuffWorks explains the functionality of the rear view mirror: “What looks like a little piece of flat mirror hanging from your windscreen is actually a prismatic wedge."
That means it is angled.
When the mirror is in its normal position, the glass surface points down into the driver’s seat. During the day you don’t notice this faint reflection of your lap because of the reflection from the main mirror is so much brighter.
During "night mode", the mirror reflects the light off the ceiling of your car, allowing you to still see what’s behind you while preventing you from being blinded by bright headlights
When you flip the switch at night, you change the angle of the whole setup. Now the primary surface is pointing up at the dark ceiling of your car, and the glass wedge points out the rear window.
You can still see the headlights behind you, but since the glass wedge only reflects a fraction of the light, they appear much dimmer.
Once you park your car for the night, make sure you put the rearview mirror back into daytime driving mode. If you don’t, you’ll find that your view in the rearview during daylight is dim and difficult to see.
If you have a power mirror, it works in the same way but you’ll need to activate "night mode"
How to do this will vary depending on the make and model of the car. Some have specific buttons, while others might require you to press a single button more than once. Check your owner’s manual to learn how your specific mirror works.