The evolution of hindsight: looking back on rearview systems

If you’ve ever looked at automobiles from the turn of the last century, you probably noticed that most of them were pretty bare of any frills – or any safety features.

Most didn’t have hardcover tops, lights or rearview mirrors, and they often had to stop and defer to any horse and buggy teams they met along the roadways.

But, by 1908, automobile accidents in the Motor City – Detroit, Michigan – were becoming a real problem; 31 people were killed in car crashes, and hundreds were injured on or near Detroit’s roadways that year.

But it wasn’t until 1911 that the racing world made rearview mirrors a household name. When Ray Harroun replaced an onboard mechanic who stood look-out for approaching racecars with a piece of mirrored glass at the Indianapolis 500, his modification birthed the first known rearview mirror on a racing car.

Since that time, the rearview mirror has undergone a variety of adaptations making it one of the longest-running safety features in automotive history.

Handheld mirrors

As Harroun discovered, rough roads made the mirror sometimes unusable because it jiggled too much to see clearly, so many drivers often asked their female passengers to hold up handheld or compact mirrors for them so they could see behind the vehicle.

In fact, rearview mirrors wouldn’t become standard until many years after the 1911 race, so many drivers often tasked safety to their passengers who could hold up mirrors or simply play lookout.

But, ironically, it wasn’t safety concerns that drove the race to the rearview patent.

The COPSPOTTER

In 1921, Elmer Berger got the first patent for the rearview mirror in the industry. But his device wasn’t so much used to see surrounding traffic for safety concerns, it was used to look out for police officers who might be tailing the car!

Modern Day

Since then, the mirror has remained pretty much the same with some minor adjustments to the size, position and stability. But, in 1956, General Motors introduced the idea of adding cameras to improve safety when it introduced its Buick Centurion concept car.

However, it remained a mere concept until 1991 when Toyota added a backup camera to its Japanese-market-only Soarer coupe. Then in 2002, the Infinity Q45 sedan became the first automobile to sport the camera feature in the American market.

By 2018, backup cameras were mandated by the federal government for US automobiles and improvements continue to be made to rearview systems, including sideview cameras and intelligent rearview monitoring systems.

As a market leader in this industry, Ficosa continues to improve its development of rearview systems. Our rearview mirrors include the latest technology and are stylishly designed to fit the quality standards requirements of the vehicles that use our products.

From ladies’ compact mirrors to innovative vision based on advanced technology, the rearview mirror can look back on its progress with pride.