Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yep, old age is having its way with me.
I didn't do well on the vision test. Not that I failed the test, just didn't do well.
So, now, my license is restricted.
On the front: block 12: Restr YES
On the back: Restriction(s): LEFT OUT MIRROR
Presumably, that means I MUST have an outside rear view mirror on the left side of the vehicle.
But wait! Hasn't nearly every vehicle built in the world for who-nows-how-many-years been built with outside rear view mirrors on BOTH sides?
Just another fine example of government bureaucratic logic (now, THERE is an oxymoron! "Bureaucratic logic"!)!
Well heck if you're "seasoned" enough to have that restriction then you must remember back in caveman days when that other mirror was indeed an option.......well, the kids will never believe it anyway.
In case you didn't know, people will take the outside mirrors off when going off-road and not install when back in town. (Pretty common in Moab UT and Ouray CO.)
In case you didn't know, people get in accidents and get their mirrors destroyed or just knocked off and sometimes don't get them replaced.
And some states, do not necessarily note a requirement for a driver's side mirror, on all vehicles.
Example; ID's code...
49-940. MIRRORS.
(1) Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a mirror so located as to reflect to the operator a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred (200) feet to the rear of the vehicle.
(2) When a motor vehicle is so loaded or constructed, or is towing a vehicle or trailer which is so loaded or constructed as to obstruct the driver's view straight to the rear, then the motor vehicle shall be equipped with a mirror on the left side and a mirror on the right side so located as to reflect to the operator a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred (200) feet to the rear of the vehicle.
Strange.
I have been to Moab with a group of Jeep owners, and not one of us took the outside mirrors off before going to Elephant Hill or Long Canyon or Top Of The World, or any of the other trails. Removing power adjustable, heated mirrors is not something to be done in a minute or two! Removing cable operated mirror takes hours!
I very rarely see a vehicle around here with a broken mirror. Apparently, though, it is quite common in Idaho. I can honestly say it is not common along the I-90 corridor in Northern Idaho, though.
Thank you for the tutorial on Idaho law concerning mirrors. However, that does not change the fact that nearly every vehicle in the world built during the last few years has had outside mirrors installed on BOTH sides.
Why, then, should there be a special restriction requiring someone to install a drivers side mirror, when nearly every vehicle already has one?
An employee of mine doesn't have either on his crappy early 2000's Blazer. They broke off and he's too cheap to replace them. It should be illegal to not have them, but here in MN it is not.
After cataract surgery in 1997 I went to the DMV and passed the test without glasses. Then we moved to Arizona and again no glasses. This year we returned to FL and now I have glasses on my license.
Strange.
I have been to Moab with a group of Jeep owners, and not one of us took the outside mirrors off before going to Elephant Hill or Long Canyon or Top Of The World, or any of the other trails. Removing power adjustable, heated mirrors is not something to be done in a minute or two! Removing cable operated mirror takes hours!
I very rarely see a vehicle around here with a broken mirror. Apparently, though, it is quite common in Idaho. I can honestly say it is not common along the I-90 corridor in Northern Idaho, though.
Thank you for the tutorial on Idaho law concerning mirrors. However, that does not change the fact that nearly every vehicle in the world built during the last few years has had outside mirrors installed on BOTH sides.
Why, then, should there be a special restriction requiring someone to install a drivers side mirror, when nearly every vehicle already has one?
I lived there for six years, and that does not count the year I visited prior to moving. It is not to remove the mirror, it is to remove the door and the door holds the mirror.
You must have a very old jeep. It takes, maybe ten minutes for the first door and most of the time is finding the correct wrench. Remove two bolts, remove the strap and if power mirrors/windows, disconnect the switch and remove the door (with the mirror). Here's a video. (And are you using a wrangler? Those three trails can be done by a new unibody Cherokee. Need to return and do some fun trails like Moab Rim, Golden Spike, Steelbender, Metal Masher, Cliffhanger, Poison Spider, Flat Iron Mesa, Seven Mile Rim; the fun trails that break things.)
Some people, who remove their doors a lot, will relocate the mirror to the A-pillar; I believe there is a kit to do so. (Have a couple friends in CO who did that.) Local cops MIGHT ticket you, but usually for doing something else. State WILL give you a ticket, and there is a UHP post in Moab. Does everyone do it? Nope, but many do!
I agree that most vehicles are built with two outside mirrors (I would almost say ALL, but never know). But they break and per Idaho law, I guess you can't get a ticket for it.
Instead of it being a ridiculous statement on a license, it might just be a confirmation to the person.
Even getting into the early/middle 70s, the passenger mirror was not standard equipment. First car I learned to drive, including parallel park daily didn't have a passenger mirror. (1972 LeMans) ... And you had to roll down the window and manually manipulate the glass on the driver's side to adjust that one.
I have a Jeep now, and do remove the doors for offroad trips, (mirrors are mounted to doors) But I do install auxillary mirrors on both sides of my windshield frame when I do that. I also added stick on convex mirrors to them. It's good for picking a line for your rear tires or watching your 1/4 panels in tight spots.
My son inherited his grandma's CJ7, that Jeep had the mirrors mounted to the A-piller so the door could come off without any trouble at all. On that vehcile, the passenger seat, was an option.
Well heck if you're "seasoned" enough to have that restriction then you must remember back in caveman days when that other mirror was indeed an option.......well, the kids will never believe it anyway.
My mom's 1987 Dodge had no left side mirror since it was an option.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
