Driveway road mirror (request ideas for a cheap workable mirror)

At first I thought the strip of cheap reflective mirror on the guardrail was the best idea - but - people clearly showed it was not (due mostly to legal ramifications).

So, I do agree ... there is 'no solution' that fits my original requirement (cheap) ... but the parabolic mirror (which in the end, with posts, will cost about $100 since the cheaper 12" mirror is probably too small).

I'll try to see if the town will put it in (in which case a two-foot mirror would be fine) ... but otherwise, I'll keep searching for a cheaper two-foot mirror & post.

Ok you drive straight in to come home, then you back ALL the way out?

What's the difference of backing all the way IN, then driving forward all the way out? Something got missed in the interpretation of the car's direction.

Do you drive forward all the way in, turn car around at house, drive forward all the way out? And still can't see at the corner?

It isnt cowardly to stop. Somebody has to. But you might see if the county or city can help you by putting a Slow sign or speed bumps on the road that is most likely to hide arriving traffic.

The mirror is not a bad idea unless local governmental rules preclude it. We had one at the turnoff to our house in Norway, where the roads were narrow, sided by vertical granite cuts, and had a lot of sharp turns and switchbacks.

Have you ever heard of the concept of a "link"?

It's a method often used to allow readers to access a web site on the internet.

Some of those sites allow the free storage of images and public access.

Hoof Hearted wrote:

I'm very sorry but I just don't understand how backing out will help at all. Maybe I'm missing what advantage backing out is. Seems to me that would only make things worse. But maybe I'm missing an important point.

Here is what an oncoming driver on the road would see as they pass the driveway:

Note: In this picture, I'd be coming out to the left. Here is what I would see as I drive up the driveway toward the road: Note: In this picture, oncoming traffic would be to my right.

Here are some photos I just took in the early afternoon today. (It's foggy outside but these are typical conditions for the winter.)

Here is the view as I drive down the driveway just as I turn off the roadway:

And here is the view from a bit further back on the road, showing there is really no room for a turnout (as the fence is the property line):

Of all the suggestions, the convex mirror seems best: a) Stopping & looking works fine - but a mirror would be better b) Creating a turnabout is infeasible (and maybe wouldn't work anyway)

The only bad thing is that the mirrors are expensive (at about $100 when mounting is considered).

Here are some pictures of the situation taken this afternoon in the fog:

I think the $100 mirror is the only viable option. Sigh. I was hoping to find a cheaper substance that mounted with just a bolt into a tree or something.

A Google overhead would be nice.

In my area of the country it is required for a motor vehicle operator to stop to check for traffic before entering any roadway irregardless of whether or not the driveway or parking lot is equipped and marked with a stop sign...

The OP's interest in installing a mirror would make no difference in my area, he would still have to stop even if he could see no cars were coming before reaching the boundary edge of the roadway...

~~ Evan

If you don't know how to post a picture on a photo hosting site and then type the link here in a text only group, then turn off your computer and stop using the internet...

~~ Evan

No, he would have to ask permission to erect anything in the adjacent vicinity of the guard rails -- it is a control zone... That is a long, painfully drawn out process which would require some plans drawn up by a professionally licensed engineer for submission to the approving agency...

Telephone/Electric pole mounting merely requires permission from the entity which owns the pole... Attachment to a tree requires the permission from the owner of the land upon which the tree is located... Legally documenting that permission would cost a lot more than the OP wanted to spend on the mirror to begin with...

~~ Evan

Steve:

Which states are that, once you are in the suburbs/city many driveways are only one or two car lengths long and therefore can not provide enough room to turn the vehicle around in...

~~ Evan

Your problem there is the incline of the driveway... Remove some of the brush to make looking over in that direction easier...

No mirror will make entering the roadway from that driveway a safe foolproof operation... Just accept the fact that the only safe way to drive out of that driveway is to stop and look before pulling out...

Maybe even putting up a sign on your property indicating that to visitors would be a good thing...

~~ Evan

Put the mouse down and step away from the computer. :)

For the life of me I just can't understand why people think he wants to back out of his driveway? He never said back out. ??????????????

Chuck Banshee wrote in news:jfskbo$via$1 @speranza.aioe.org:

I gave you a link to a $27 convex mirror.

If you don't know how to post a picture on a photo hosting site and then type the link here in a text only group, then turn off your computer and stop using the internet...

~~ Evan

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Wow, they certainly do grow them stupid in "Provi-DENSE".

I agree.

I don't see how backing out helps in any way possible.

Plus, if you look at the pictures, it's infeasible to back out - but - even if it were feasible - I don't see how that changes the sharp angle that the driveway hits the road.

If anything, it makes it worse because my eyes are farther from the road when the car enters the road and my head it cocked backward.

So, I just can't understand why backing out is such a hot topic as it buys me nothing and isn't feasible anyway.