Q: Is There a Way to Reduce Glare From Car Mirrors?

When it comes to the interior or rear view mirror, the quickest way to reduce glare is to use the tab lever under the mirror to rotate the angle of the mirror which changes the angle of the reflected light and will reduce the glare. Most everyone has been in a situation where a large truck or other vehicle is behind you and the lights are practically searing your retinas.

Given the variety of light types today and the resulting candle power or lumens, glare can be a real concern when driving at night. Even standard vehicles with HID or LED bulbs can be exceptionally bright when reflecting off of your mirrors. I’m sure you have encountered these vehicles coming toward you as well.

Some mirrors have an auto dimming feature which will change the shading or reflectivity of the mirror to decrease the glare to the driver.

Now let’s consider what happens when it comes to the outside rear view mirrors and glare. Here you run into the problem that the design of these mirrors, along with the science that makes the effect work for the manual rearview mirror, cannot be duplicated for the exterior mirrors in a manual mode. The only option here is to buy a vehicle that comes with auto dimming exterior mirrors or to order an aftermarket kit, and have them installed if they are available for your make and model. Reducing glare reduces stress on the driver and can help to prevent accidents.