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Glare from the headlights of following vehicles which is reflected in rearview mirrors can be a significant problem. Glare can cause driver discomfort, it can diminish the driver's ability to see, and it can cause driver fatigue, particularly during prolonged night-time driving common for many professional drivers. Conventional rearview mirrors, such as silvered and chromed mirrors, offer only one reflectivity level. Variable reflectance mirrors, such as those utilizing electrochromic and liquid crystal technology, are capable of multiple reflectance levels. With variable reflectance, the driver can select a high reflectivity level during daytime driving or when reversing into loading docks, and can select a reduced dimmer reflectance level when driving during glaring conditions. This paper briefly reviews the principal technologies available for variable reflectance mirrors and outlines their performance as glare-reducing mirrors.

Glare reflected from rearview mirrors degrades the ability of the driver to detect objects in the forward field. Mirrors are now available which reduce this glare. This study looked at the effect of those mirrors on the driver's ability to detect a pedestrian-size target along the edge of the road; specifically, the distance at which drivers were able to detect the target. Detection distance was measured for two glare levels and two reflectivity levels: the standard reflectivity level and the reflectivity level designed for glare reduction. The results showed a loss in detection distance when glare was present. Higher glare levels resulted in larger losses. Use of the lower reflectivity level was able to reduce glare to the point where the loss in detection distance was almost eliminated.