Japan’s transportation ministry has approved mirrorless cars to drive on its roads, according to The Japan Times and Automotive News. The country green-lit the new policy after a United Nations’ working group on international auto standards said cameras could replace mirrors on cars if the camera systems met certain standards.
According to The Japan Times, “At first, monitors and the cameras must be positioned in the same place as current rear-view and side-view mirrors and offer the same views.” Transportation Ministry official Maseru Miyashita told the paper, “Getting used to (monitors instead of mirrors) is the main factor to ensure drivers’ safety.”
Mirrorless cars substitute analog rear- and side-view mirrors for cameras and screens. Advocates say that dropping side-view mirrors can make a car more aerodynamic and cameras can have a wider field of vision than a mirror. On the other hand, a mirror is a simple thing, and a camera and screen setup is complex and by nature, one is easier to fix than the other. In addition, as Automotive News points out, some in the auto industry have cautioned that although a rear-view camera can go a long way in eliminating blind spots, some drivers rely on the rear pillars in a car to gauge exactly where an object coming up behind the car is.
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