The rearview mirror: a trusty soldier in the pursuit of security, a means of scanning for approaching traffic or monitoring backseat mischief.
source/image: Great Big Story
Surely its inventor had safety on the mind! Well, not quite. In 1911, a racer vying to win the inaugural Indianapolis 500 thought adding a rear-facing mirror would give him a speedy edge.Not where you thought this was going, huh?
Inspired by something he saw in a horse-drawn carriage, Indy racer Ray Harroun installed a rear view mirror on his car to replace the ancillary rider, a mechanic, who would normally accompany a driver.It’s hard to imagine that cars once didn’t come standard with them.
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Then someone figured out that was the best way to see if there were cops behind you without craning.What we accept as a defensive driving tool, the ability to see behind us while driving really exists because early drivers wanted to drive faster without impunity.
