Things hanging from rear view mirror

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marc.l

Active Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
258
Car
E55 wagon
On my morning walk could not believe how many people have so much stuff hanging from the rear view mirror ! One car locally the guy has worry beads, pair of boxing gloves, air freshner , religious medallion and a smallish picture of his kids . I bet 50% of the cars had some thing dangling in the way of forward cushion .
I can't stand any thing hanging in my front of me obscuring my forward vishion , is there any laws or regulations ? Or can you hang what you want ? I've seen teddy bears, flags , mini football shirts , medals, mini horse shoes , what is that all about ?
 
I'm with you on this one. The Highway Code says 'Windscreens and windows must be kept clean and clear of all obstructions', yet people seem to insist on having all sorts of things interrupting their view. The danglies from the mirror are the worst offenders because they're always moving around and distracting the driver. But nearly as bad are all the stickers in windows telling us things like 'child on board', or the cushions and toy dogs on the back shelf so that the driver has no idea of what's behind. Grrrrrrrrrrrr :wallbash:
 
We've covered this one before the answer is it is not illegal in it's own right but the question is does it obscure the view of the driver? and pose a hazard to the driver and other road users? If so then a police officer can class it as an offence. However the guidelines are that it has to obscure part of Zone A as defined in the MOT test which is so far away from the rear view mirror to the offside that this is extremely unlikely.

I too have nothing hanging from the mirror and even my sat nav is dash mounted not winsdcreen mounted for the same reason
 
''What else is the mirror for?'' chorused the UK's motorists.
 
I don't hang anything on my rear mirror because of the g-forces involved in my car!
 
You want to get inside a Greek taxi.:eek:
No I don't :eek: ... although mirror decorations aren't as bad as seat fixings in Kenyan taxis. I got in one a few years ago and when the driver accelerated away (well, sort of) my front seat shot back and dumped me on the back seat. I told the driver to stop and let me out so I could walk!
 
Okay: let me be very clear here. Hanging things from your rear view mirror is downright dangerous and could cause a major accident. Do not do it.

I nearly killed myself and some others when my lucky car air freshener - lucky-mascot got tangled up in the cable of my electric shaver. Distracted as I attempted to finish my shave I almost drove off the road. Lesson learned for me in the form of a poor shave and a lucky escape.

I now hang all my stuff from my Sat Nav. That works just as well as the rear view mirror. I have positioned it so that it lights up other counties as I travel at night. Added safety here is that I can be clearly seen from the International Space Station (which I have a model of dangling from my sat-nav)

Stay Safe Folks.
 
It is an MOT failure, if there is anything hanging from the mirror, I used to take great delight in failing cars for this, usually along with "creative" spacing on numberplates. If the presenter asked why I just didn't remove the offending boxing gloves/dreamcatcher/magic tree, then I'd explain that if the mirror then detatched from the screen or I broke the tat, then it'd be my fault.

"Where items are present in the driver’s view (such as a sat nav, air freshener etc) that would justify a Reason for Rejection, the tester may, at their discretion, remove the items prior to the inspection. This fact should be noted on an Advisory Notice."
 
It is an MOT failure, if there is anything hanging from the mirror, I used to take great delight in failing cars for this, usually along with "creative" spacing on numberplates. If the presenter asked why I just didn't remove the offending boxing gloves/dreamcatcher/magic tree, then I'd explain that if the mirror then detatched from the screen or I broke the tat, then it'd be my fault.

"Where items are present in the driver’s view (such as a sat nav, air freshener etc) that would justify a Reason for Rejection, the tester may, at their discretion, remove the items prior to the inspection. This fact should be noted on an Advisory Notice."

Surely only Jobsworth MOT Testers would fail a car for this heres a quote from the Chairman of the MOT Testing Forum of which I am a member

"Jim Punter, chairman of the MOT Testing Forum, said: "Common sense dictates testers should tell owners to remove things like furry dice or even do it themselves. One examiner was disciplined by the vehicle services agency because he failed a car with mini boxing gloves hanging from the rear view mirror.A single small dangling object from the rear view mirror is not a reason for rejection and a tester may remove the object as common sense would dictate".

The one that really gets me though is if a car is presented for test with a child seat fitted, you are not allowed to examine the seatbelt holding that child seat in place. That seatbelt in the event of an accident is the difference between that childs life and death and on older cars I think it is insane you cannot check it.

Contrary to popular belief VOSA clamp down hard on testers who fail cars for stupid reasons or jobsworth attitudes and thier inspections are increasing even using mystery cars to test MOT stations.
 
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How about when the car is parked up and locked. With things dangling from your rear view mirror. If they start to sway when it is a little breezy. Wouldn't that possibly set off the alarm?.

I'm also someone who doesn't like anything dangling from my rear view mirror.
 
Obviously I'd never fail a car on something on the mirror alone, but if it failed on other things, then I'd include it along with the other failures, as it should be. I just found that loads of stuff on the mirrors used to go along with dodgy number plates, blue sidelamps and multi tone horns.....

I could never understand presenters anger about simply removing something from their mirror,when the car also failed on seriously dangerous tyres or badly corroded brake pipes....and don't get me started on number plates.
 
I used to have a key ring hanging from my mirror with a skiier on it when I was 17!

Hey I was young!! I thought it looked cool.

Having said that my Hillman Imp with a red bonnet and blue boot ticked the cool look.

Not to mention the back side window with every sticker on it I could get!!
 
A traffic officer pulls a car over on a lonely B road and approaches the driver.

"Madam, is there a reason that you're weaving all over the road"?

The woman replied, "Oh officer, thank goodness you're here!! I almost had an accident! I looked up and there was a tree right in front of me. I swerved to the left and there was another tree in front of me. I swerved to the right and there was another tree in front of me!"

Reaching through the side window to the rear view mirror, the officer replied, "Madam... that's your air freshener."



(Yes, wrong thread. The oldest are the...oldest :eek:)
 
Obviously I'd never fail a car on something on the mirror alone, but if it failed on other things, then I'd include it along with the other failures, as it should be. I just found that loads of stuff on the mirrors used to go along with dodgy number plates, blue sidelamps and multi tone horns.....

I could never understand presenters anger about simply removing something from their mirror,when the car also failed on seriously dangerous tyres or badly corroded brake pipes....and don't get me started on number plates.

It is an MOT failure, if there is anything hanging from the mirror, I used to take great delight in failing cars for this, that's what you said !

funny how people change their tune when there is a sniff of authority.
 
It is an MOT failure, if there is anything hanging from the mirror, I used to take great delight in failing cars for this, that's what you said !

Good luck to Him, I say. Cars are meant to be there for one purpose (perhaps not ;)) and have no distractions for the driver.

No "stuff" hanging off the mirror, no stickers on windows, and kids secured in the boot...
 
It is an MOT failure, if there is anything hanging from the mirror, I used to take great delight in failing cars for this, that's what you said !

funny how people change their tune when there is a sniff of authority.

Many things in the MOT are down to the testers discretion. If someone was being uppity about coming out to the garage to remove their c*ap from a mirror, then I would fail it, as is correct proceedure What would you think the result would be if I'd taken it upon myself to remove said tat, and it broke either it, the mirror, or the windscreen??. Mot testers can't win whatever, so you minimise any possible chance of anything coming back to you. 15 years as a tester on cars and bikes with no issues and no points tells me I had it about right. If there was any sniff of a presenter being either a know it all, a t*at or a complainer, then things were done EXACTLY by the book and the discretion would always be on my side..

As for changing my tune at "a sniff of authority" then VOSA is all seeing- with every test there was the possibility of a visit, points or the loss of your job, along with the testing stations loss of the ability to carry out MOT's. You have to be able to justify EVERY decision you make as if it is queried, it WILL be checked. If I refused to pass a car with stuff on the mirror, and the presenter wouldn't do it, then my decision would be justified and VOSA would rule on my side.

Anyway, who is this authority who was sniffing me?
 
Tiff is right and his first paragraph is exactly how I work, I use my discretion unless the presenter is a knobblyhead then it gets done by the book. Treat people as you would like to be treat yourself is my motto.

VOSA have upped their game they sit outside the test station in the car logged onto the system with the laptop, they stop and question drivers leaving after an MOT, they present anonymous cars, the Regional Inspectors drop in with no notice and examine you whilst doing a test, believe me the system is geared to favour the presenter not the tester. VOSA come down hard on failures for pedantry reasons and testers get reprimanded for such actions.

As previously posted common sense should prevail
 

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