Is it illegal to drive with a broken wing mirror?

When your vehicle is missing a wing mirror, rearview mirror, or both, is it illegal to drive on UK roads? Motorway Windscreens is here to provide the answer.

Car Mirrors

Fitted as standard on all vehicles, there’s often three rearview mirrors. The interior rearview mirror is in the top middle section of the windscreen if you have a back window to look out of. The driver’s side mirror, sometimes called the offside mirror, is affixed to the driver’s door. Want to guess where the passenger side mirror is? Yep, you got it – on the passenger side of the vehicle. This mirror is sometimes referred to as the nearside mirror. Remember – nearside is near to the pavement.  

Benefits of Wing Mirrors

The passenger and driver’s side mirrors are collectively known as the wing mirrors. Without wing mirrors, the world of driving would be far more dangerous, both for you inside the car and those outside the car. The passenger side mirror is great for parking near kerbs and watching out for motorcycles and cyclists coming up on the inside. Driver’s side mirrors are arguably even more useful as they allow you to get a better picture of the surrounds of the car and make overtaking far more convenient.

Legal Implications

We’ve read the boring bits so you don’t have to. You’re free to gander at The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 but then again, you’re also free to merge without looking… but you probably won’t and with good reason, too.  

The basics are this: vehicles must have a minimum of two mirrors. Most often this is the driver’s side mirror and the interior rearview mirror. Any exterior mirrors must be adjustable and be able to be seen from the driving position, either through a side window or any portion of the front window that is cleared by the windscreen wipers. The interior mirror must be adjustable by the driver when they are sat in the driving position and all mirrors must remain in place under normal driving conditions. Simple.

Does Car Insurance Cover a Broken Wing Mirror?

Filing a claim for a broken wing mirror on your insurance policy depends entirely on your policy and insurance company. The best course of action is to call them, explain the situation and follow their advice. Circumstances will have different outcomes if you or another driver with insurance has caused the damage, if there’s been a hit-and-run, or if vandalism has occurred.

Motorway Windscreens offer quick, dependable windscreen repairs and replacements in Leeds, Grimsby, Sheffield, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Barnsley and many other fantastic locations throughout the North of England. We pride ourselves on our timely response, workmanship and excellent customer service, so you can be certain you’re in the hands of experts when coming to us. Contact us today to book your windscreen repair or replacement.