Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear on:
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The phrase "objects in (the) mirror are closer than they appear" is a safety warning that is required to be engraved on passenger side mirrors of motor vehicles in many places such as the
The phrase "objects in (the) mirror are closer than they appear" is a safety warning that is required to be engraved on passenger side mirrors of motor vehicles in many places such as the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. It is present because while these mirrors' convexity
Convex or convexity may refer to:
Science and technology
* Convex lens, in optics
Mathematics
* Convex set, containing the whole line segment that joins points
** Convex polygon, a polygon which encloses a convex set of points
** Convex polytope ...
gives them a useful field of view
The field of view (FoV) is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment. In the case of optical instruments or sensors it is a solid angle through which a detector is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.
Humans a ...
, it also makes objects appear smaller. Since smaller-appearing objects seem
Seem or ''variants'' may refer to:
* ''Société d'Exploitation des Etablissements Morane-Saulnier'' (''SEEMS'' or ''SEEM''), the successor company to the French aviation manufacturer '' Morane-Saulnier''
* SeeMS, a mass spectrometry viewer sof ...
farther away than they actually are, a driver might make a maneuver such as a lane change assuming an adjacent vehicle is a safe distance behind, when in fact it is quite a bit closer. The warning serves as a reminder to the driver of this potential problem.
In popular culture
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, the phrase has become a well knowncatch phrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
that has been used for many other purposes. These include books,''Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear'', a 1995 novel by Katharine Weber. films (including non-English ones), cartoons, songs, music albums, and other contexts.
See also
* * * * * * * , another safety warning used at various London Underground stations that has also become a well-known catchphrase.Notes
References
{{Reflist English phrases Mirrors Automotive safety Optical illusions