Driving without passenger door mirror?

[Silas22]

Someone very kindly decided to open their door into the path of my O/H driving my car - wiping out the door mirror, amongst other damage. Now with this being a large 4x4 I'm unlikely to drive this without it due to the large blindspot - but just looking for the legalities of this?

Quick google suggests that you only need the drivers door mirror but can't help thinking the broken plastic and wires can't be okay.

Would this also be enough to warrant a courtesy car from other insurer if they admit fault since I can't/don't feel comfortable driving the car with no mirror. Or is it one of these it depends on insurer or not worth trying because it just bumps up everyones insurance...

[Pit Pony]

My dad had a new Sierra estate, that was so base, that it didn't have a passenger door mirror until I found one in a scrap yard and gave it him.for his birthday.
It also didn't have head rests on any seats, rear seat belts, or a radio.

Times and regulations may have changed.

[Silas22]

Pit Pony said:

My dad had a new Sierra estate, that was so base, that it didn't have a passenger door mirror until I found one in a scrap yard and gave it him.for his birthday.
It also didn't have head rests on any seats, rear seat belts, or a radio.

Times and regulations may have changed.

Not sure if it is one of these 'if it came with it then it is required' type things or not

[2Btoo]

I think that you need to have two rear view mirrors, one of which needs to be mounted on the driver's door. Therefore the second one could be a centre-view mirror or a passenger door mirror (vans often don't have a centre-view mirror.)

This was the case a few years ago, for sure.

[Silas22]

2Btoo said:

I think that you need to have two rear view mirrors, one of which needs to be mounted on the driver's door. Therefore the second one could be a centre-view mirror or a passenger door mirror (vans often don't have a centre-view mirror.)

This was the case a few years ago, for sure.

That's not too bad, can just pull the dog's crate out the back and use the interior mirror if I really need to use it then

[XR]

2Btoo said:

I think that you need to have two rear view mirrors, one of which needs to be mounted on the driver's door. Therefore the second one could be a centre-view mirror or a passenger door mirror (vans often don't have a centre-view mirror.)

This was the case a few years ago, for sure.

Yes still the same for cars first used on or after 1.8.78.

[Puddenchucker]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mirrors...

[anonymous-user]

You should tidy up the broken door mirror, remove the broken plastic, etc and make it safe from a pedestrian POV.

[Pica-Pica]

Silas22 said:

Someone very kindly decided to open their door into the path of my O/H driving my car - wiping out the door mirror, amongst other damage. Now with this being a large 4x4 I'm unlikely to drive this without it due to the large blindspot - but just looking for the legalities of this?

Quick google suggests that you only need the drivers door mirror but can't help thinking the broken plastic and wires can't be okay.

Would this also be enough to warrant a courtesy car from other insurer if they admit fault since I can't/don't feel comfortable driving the car with no mirror. Or is it one of these it depends on insurer or not worth trying because it just bumps up everyones insurance...

Correct, you do not NEED that passenger door mirror from a legal aspect. (Not sure what would happen if it were a LHD car over here, but I am sure that is covered in the legislation).
Whether you can argue for a courtesy car is down to your negotiating skills.

[Silas22]

Thanks for everyones input - has been resolved a lot easier than I can believe.. Other party admitted fault and both of us were insured with same company, equivalent car being arranged for tomorrow so no need to use the car.

Good to know that the mirror wasn't needed, though not sure how that would go down if I was pulled or had an accident where the other vehicle was on that side

[Pica-Pica]

Silas22 said:

Thanks for everyones input - has been resolved a lot easier than I can believe.. Other party admitted fault and both of us were insured with same company, equivalent car being arranged for tomorrow so no need to use the car.

Good to know that the mirror wasn't needed, though not sure how that would go down if I was pulled or had an accident where the other vehicle was on that side

You would be legal, AFAIK, but you still need to make adequate observation, as you would even if you had an intact mirror.

[Pontoneer]

Silas22 said:

Someone very kindly decided to open their door into the path of my O/H driving my car - wiping out the door mirror, amongst other damage. Now with this being a large 4x4 I'm unlikely to drive this without it due to the large blindspot - but just looking for the legalities of this?

Quick google suggests that you only need the drivers door mirror but can't help thinking the broken plastic and wires can't be okay.

Would this also be enough to warrant a courtesy car from other insurer if they admit fault since I can't/don't feel comfortable driving the car with no mirror. Or is it one of these it depends on insurer or not worth trying because it just bumps up everyones insurance...

From memory , it depends on the age of the vehicle : up to some time around the late fifties , early sixties , no exterior mirrors were required ; from that point an offside mirror was a requirement for all new cars registered in the UK ; it then changed again sometime around the late seventies/early eighties ( I can remember my 1975 Mercedes 280E having only a drivers side mirror when I bought it , and I paid the then shocking sum of around £120 at the dealership buying the correct passenger side mirror ) ; within a few years it became mandatory to have two exterior mirrors , but I'm not sure of the exact date ; my poverty spec 1982 190E had both mirrors , which I don't think it would have had it not been compulsory since the original owner bought it with steel wheels , wind up windows , cloth seats , no armrest etc etc ; it was still a good car and a very early 190 .

[Dogwatch]

Pica-Pica said:

Correct, you do not NEED that passenger door mirror from a legal aspect. (Not sure what would happen if it were a LHD car over here, but I am sure that is covered in the legislation).
Whether you can argue for a courtesy car is down to your negotiating skills.

Italian plod used to have a field day with UK registered cars as they only came with a driver’s side mirror, I.e on the right. However Italian law mandated a mirror on the left, for their drivers. Cue traffic ticket for grumpy tourist.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Puddenchucker said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mirrors...

Interesting stuff.

Many new trucks don't have any mirrors, just cameras?

[Pica-Pica]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Puddenchucker said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mirrors...

Interesting stuff.

Many new trucks don't have any mirrors, just cameras?

.. and the Honda-e

Edited by Pica-Pica on Thursday 15th July 17:41

[944 Man]

Depends on year, I suspect. Some cars only had one mirror, then two but the door mirror could be on either door, before being compulsory on the driver's side.

[Foss62]

Pontoneer said:

Silas22 said:

Someone very kindly decided to open their door into the path of my O/H driving my car - wiping out the door mirror, amongst other damage. Now with this being a large 4x4 I'm unlikely to drive this without it due to the large blindspot - but just looking for the legalities of this?

Quick google suggests that you only need the drivers door mirror but can't help thinking the broken plastic and wires can't be okay.

Would this also be enough to warrant a courtesy car from other insurer if they admit fault since I can't/don't feel comfortable driving the car with no mirror. Or is it one of these it depends on insurer or not worth trying because it just bumps up everyones insurance...

From memory , it depends on the age of the vehicle : up to some time around the late fifties , early sixties , no exterior mirrors were required ; from that point an offside mirror was a requirement for all new cars registered in the UK ; it then changed again sometime around the late seventies/early eighties ( I can remember my 1975 Mercedes 280E having only a drivers side mirror when I bought it , and I paid the then shocking sum of around £120 at the dealership buying the correct passenger side mirror ) ; within a few years it became mandatory to have two exterior mirrors , but I'm not sure of the exact date ; my poverty spec 1982 190E had both mirrors , which I don't think it would have had it not been compulsory since the original owner bought it with steel wheels , wind up windows , cloth seats , no armrest etc etc ; it was still a good car and a very early 190 .

Surprisingly, exterior mirrors must have still not been mandatory as late as 1971. My first car was first registered then and I fitted the first one to the offside wing when I got it in 1980.

[donkmeister]

Pontoneer said:

From memory , it depends on the age of the vehicle : up to some time around the late fifties , early sixties , no exterior mirrors were required ; from that point an offside mirror was a requirement for all new cars registered in the UK ; it then changed again sometime around the late seventies/early eighties ( I can remember my 1975 Mercedes 280E having only a drivers side mirror when I bought it , and I paid the then shocking sum of around £120 at the dealership buying the correct passenger side mirror ) ; within a few years it became mandatory to have two exterior mirrors , but I'm not sure of the exact date ; my poverty spec 1982 190E had both mirrors , which I don't think it would have had it not been compulsory since the original owner bought it with steel wheels , wind up windows , cloth seats , no armrest etc etc ; it was still a good car and a very early 190 .

I'm happy to be corrected but I'm sure I remember some mega-povvo-spec cars coming with a door mirror on the driver's side only as late as the 1990s - I want to say the Fiat Panda/Seat Marbella and possibly some of the smaller Citroens and Peugeots.

[Earthdweller]

Generally two mirror are mandatory

Driver side rear view plus either an interior mirror or a passenger side mirror

The one that you must have is the drivers side

[Pica-Pica]

Earthdweller said:

Generally two mirror are mandatory

Driver side rear view plus either an interior mirror or a passenger side mirror

The one that you must have is the drivers side

Not ‘mirror’ per se. A means for rearward vision, hence the Honda-e camera.