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Retaliatory Rear-View Mirror

Blinded by the light
  (+5, -2)
(+5, -2)
  [vote for,
against]

When an insensitive driver pulls behind me at night with his or her headlights on high-beam, blinding me in my rear-view mirror, I would like to be able flick a switch that automatically moves said mirror to an angle that reflects that light back toward his or her (OK, its probably actually a guy not a woman) eyes.

Bonus points if the device also adds a little curvature to the mirror to collimate the light and make sure he gets the message.

sqeaketh the wheel, Oct 27 2012

Night-tailgater_20 blinder Night-tailgater_20blinder
Similar [csea, Oct 27 2012]

Blinded by the lights Blinded_20by_20the_20lights
also similar [csea, Oct 27 2012]

High beam attitude readjustment device High_20beam_20attit...adjustment_20device
etc. [csea, Oct 27 2012]

Automatic dimming rear-view mirror http://www.jcwhitne...5&filterid=c15521j1
At $80, with no extra goodies, about the cheapest to be had [CraigD, Oct 29 2012]

[link]






       Getting the angle right would be tricky. How about gluing a strip of retroreflectors (cube corners) to the rear of your headrest?
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 27 2012
  

       //(OK, its probably actually a guy not a woman)//   

       explain.
FlyingToaster, Oct 27 2012
  

       //explain//...Guys are more likely to tailgate aggressively, and I wouldn't really want to semi-blind a woman driver, being biased as I guess I am. (Call it respect for or gentleness toward women. I am a dude and I realize dudetts can kick ass with the best of them, but I still want to treat them a little more politely than I would treat an obnoxious dude. OK I see I am getting in deeper here.)
sqeaketh the wheel, Oct 27 2012
  

       But now I realize the device must have an automatic gender-identification capability, otherwise I would violate my stated ethics rules. That makes it rather difficult to design and build.
sqeaketh the wheel, Oct 27 2012
  

       See [links] for similar ideas.
csea, Oct 27 2012
  

       If you design it to determine the model of car behind you, then adjust the height so it will only hit the top 60% of people in the eyes, you'll only hit taller than average women.
MechE, Oct 27 2012
  

       This is funny... I have actually tried to do this to the thoughtless turds that do this on the highway --- and sometimes I am successful. I use the rear view mirror on the inside, trying to adjust it to reflect back, while also trying to keep my hand out of the way. It's tricky, but it can be done. I will bun this one, and any of the prior art as well.... [+]
Grogster, Oct 28 2012
  

       Yeah this has been done before. Besides, I heard the real solution to tailgating long ago: buy a 1988 Mercedes 300 Turbo Diesel. Shift down to 3rd. Floor it. The cloud of smoke will blind and suffocate the person behind you causing them to back off, or veer into a tree. The black smoke will also keep the light from their brights from getting to your mirror in the first place.
DIYMatt, Oct 28 2012
  

       //Call me boring, but I just used to twist the mirror to point somewhere else//   

       Call me boring, but I have an auto-dimming rear view mirror :)
DIYMatt, Oct 28 2012
  

       Don't most mirrors come with a switch on the bottom to tilt them to a secondary reflection that is much dimmer to avoid this? It won't retaliate, but it does diminish the problem.
TomP, Oct 28 2012
  

       [Grog], I routinely do the same thing with my center mirror. I'm not sure how effective it is, since all of the prisoners I've taken for later interrogation were, um, shot while trying to escape.
Alterother, Oct 29 2012
  

       If your vehicle has a light or rollbar with spotlights on it, just turn a couple of them around and aim ‘em down at the right angle, then flip ‘em on. Of course, you might actually blind the following car causing a crash that kills everyone in it, but that’s a common drawback with impulsive road-rage style retaliation, as is legal trouble.   

       If you’re more concerned with not getting blinded in the first place than retaliation, there are some aftermarket mirrors that combine light sensors with LCD panels to automatically dim faster than your eyes are dazzled – see links.
CraigD, Oct 29 2012
  

       While I'm certain that this would be illegal, I think I'd rather have attach a light sensor to my rear view mirror, and rear-facing lamps to the back of the car, and have those lamps come on automatically when the sensor sees more than a certain amount of light.
goldbb, Oct 30 2012
  
      
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