Automatic folding mirrors on luxury cars encourage dooring

I've had a couple of near doorings involving luxury cars (both Mercedes) that had side mirrors that automatically fold in. I can't help but think those folded mirrors discourage motorists from making sure it's safe to open the door, and I think that feature was designed to protect the luxury car owner, but without any thought to the safety of the driver or passengers, or others who might be traveling near the car. Thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on November 3, 2012 at 11:21am

I submitted a comment on http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/contact_us/overview and suggested they leave the mirror out until the door is locked.

Permalink Reply by blair on November 5, 2012 at 9:17am

By the way most luxury car owners drive, you'd think the rear view mirror folds up once the car is started.

Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on November 5, 2012 at 10:48am

That is a very interesting thought.  I would be very interested to see statistics on dooring incidents to learn what percentage of vehicles involved had folding mirrors.

Permalink Reply by Mark on November 5, 2012 at 11:15am

Are you sure the mirrors fold right away when the ignition is shut off?  It would make sense to wait until the car is locked, like you are suggesting.

Permalink Reply by Will on November 5, 2012 at 11:51am

Well I'm seeing people open their doors (into my path) with their mirrors already folded, so I assume they're folding when the ignition is shut off, or possibly when they shift into park.

Permalink Reply by Will on November 5, 2012 at 11:52am

It would, but I doubt that's a data point being collected.

Brendan Kevenides said:

That is a very interesting thought.  I would be very interested to see statistics on dooring incidents to learn what percentage of vehicles involved had folding mirrors.

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on November 5, 2012 at 11:57am

I drove a Renault in France recently that folded its mirrors when you pulled the key out of the ignition.  (It was actually one of those keyless fobs that you put into a slot in the console.)

I agree a better method would be to fold the mirrors when you hit the lock button on the fob. 

Mark said:

Are you sure the mirrors fold right away when the ignition is shut off?  It would make sense to wait until the car is locked, like you are suggesting.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on November 6, 2012 at 9:33am

I've found that drivers of luxury cars in general tend to be less concerned about others around them.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 7, 2012 at 5:15am

That has often been my experience.  I usually try to stay further away from them than from other types of cars.

Adam Herstein said:

I've found that drivers of luxury cars in general tend to be less concerned about others around them.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on November 7, 2012 at 5:19am

I think it's because they spent more money on their car, so they feel more entitled to the road. Land Rovers and Mercedes tend to be the worst offenders. I will never fully comprehend why people who live in Chicago – or any dense urban area for that matter – choose to drive giant SUVs. I'm sure they are much harder to maneuver on tight city streets and more difficult to park on the street as well.

Anne Alt said:

That has often been my experience.  I usually try to stay further away from them than from other types of cars.

Adam Herstein said:

I've found that drivers of luxury cars in general tend to be less concerned about others around them.

Permalink Reply by Will on November 7, 2012 at 5:40am

I drive what many would consider a luxury car. Actually my wife drives it, I just pay for it, while I ride my bike. You can find assholes driving any brand of car, if you ride long enough.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on November 7, 2012 at 5:52am

Agreed, there are assholes everywhere. I just seem to notice that a disproportionate amount of the assholes drive luxury cars.

Will V. said:

I drive what many would consider a luxury car. Actually my wife drives it, I just pay for it, while I ride my bike. You can find assholes driving any brand of car, if you ride long enough.

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