Are digital rearview mirrors legal in Thailand?

[Andyfez]

I was thinking of getting one.

Nice clear rear view.

But wanted to know if legal?

[Estrada]

Why not? They are allowed for all vehicles that rear view mirrors cannot be used, like box vans, lorries etc.

[Peterw42]

I dont think the law would be that specific to say one is legal and one isn't, either way, most dash cam/reverse mirrors still incorporate a normal mirror along with a camera.

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Peterw42

[sandyf]

9 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

either way, most dash cam/reverse mirrors still incorporate a normal mirror along with a camera.

That is not true. I had a look at these and all the models I saw for sale with rear view facility were designed to fit over the existing rear view mirror, and the new "mirror" was the screen for the rear facing camera.

The only way you could have a "normal mirror" would be to fit an additional mirror.

 

As for legality, I would have thought the best option would be to ask the insurance company if there was a reduction in premium for a rear facing camera arrangement, becoming quite common for forward facing camera.

[Peterw42]

24 minutes ago, sandyf said:

That is not true. I had a look at these and all the models I saw for sale with rear view facility were designed to fit over the existing rear view mirror, and the new "mirror" was the screen for the rear facing camera.

The only way you could have a "normal mirror" would be to fit an additional mirror.

 

As for legality, I would have thought the best option would be to ask the insurance company if there was a reduction in premium for a rear facing camera arrangement, becoming quite common for forward facing camera.

We must be looking at different products, I am unaware of any that just do a rear view only function. They are all recorders, foward/reversing etc and you choose what you want on the screen, usually a small window view together with a normal mirror (as above).. They all fit over exsisting mirror , incorperate a normal mirror, default back to a normal mirror if the device is off or window view. Can you post one of the rear view only models that doesnt incorperate a mirror ?

Edited May 4, 2020 by Peterw42

[Andyfez]

www.slashgear.com/car-camera-side-mirrors-could-finally-get-us-approval-28588955/

 

According to this US article, the new side cameras are only recently recognized or being considered for legality (in other countries). You note that it is an addition, not s replacement in new vehicles.

Which leads me to think internal rear view mirrors are not recognized as legal in most countries.

I can't Imagine Thai law would be a leader in this subject, but many Thai taxis seem to use them

As another poster said, they seem to be clipped over the original. Not actually replacing it.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Andyfez

[sandyf]

3 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

We must be looking at different products, I am unaware of any that just do a rear view only function. They are all recorders, foward/reversing etc and you choose what you want on the screen, usually a small window view together with a normal mirror (as above).. Can you post one of the rear view only models

I said "with rear view facility", I never mentioned rear view only.

Forward facing cameras come in different formats, stick on or clip on. I only ever saw the clip on version with rear view facility, the screen being clipped on over and obscuring the "normal mirror".

Price dictated what the various options were that could be seen on the screen.

 

Rightly or wrongly I understood the OP question to be the legitimacy of a digital image as opposed to an actual mirror.

[sandyf]

31 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

We must be looking at different products, I am unaware of any that just do a rear view only function. They are all recorders, foward/reversing etc and you choose what you want on the screen, usually a small window view together with a normal mirror (as above).. Can you post one of the rear view only models

As a matter of interest I had a look on Lazada and now see what you are getting at. Some do appear to have a small screen embedded in what looks like a mirror. They appear to be the cheaper end of the market.

I was looking in shops with a friend and on all that were shown the whole "mirror" was a screen. Possibly as foreigners we were only shown the more expensive models.

The ambiguity doesn't do a lot for the OP.

 

[Peterw42]

6 minutes ago, sandyf said:

As a matter of interest I had a look on Lazada and now see what you are getting at. Some do appear to have a small screen embedded in what looks like a mirror. They appear to be the cheaper end of the market.

I was looking in shops with a friend and on all that were shown the whole "mirror" was a screen. Possibly as foreigners we were only shown the more expensive models.

The ambiguity doesn't do a lot for the OP.

 

I think you will find the units are all switchable between full screen, window, split etc. The unit is both a screen and a mirror, one of the buttons on the unit/menu changes whats on the screen. I have had 3-4 of these units in my last 3 cars., they all operated the same, a choice of full screen or window, size of window and location on the screen. Most have a default power on display in a window, switch to full screen when reverse is selected, or playback.

 

[VirgoSG]

17 hours ago, Andyfez said:

But wanted to know if legal?

A couple of months back I rented a Nissan Terra in Udon Thani, and it came with a factory-fitted rearview camera, but with a switch to alternate between the monitor screen and regular mirror.  So I assume since they are selling this car in Thailand, it must be legal...

I tended to use the regular mirror, simply because the monitor screen takes a bit of adjusting to and I only had it for a week.  Having said that, the scope of the camera monitor is vastly superior to that offered by a regular rearview mirror

Nissan details here at this link
https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/TECHNOLOGY/OVERVIEW/smart_rearview_mirror.html

[Grusa]

I have such a mirror. It works automatically, recording both front and rear views, the display is a small touch screen in the middle, which switches off after a minute or so. The only way to know it is working is a small red clock display and red recording light, until you touch the screen or one of the buttons. It is an android device, so can also navigate with gps, etc.

There are a few things to think about:-

It is much longer than the standard mirror, and heavy. So, the sunscreens foul it, I had to cut a chunk out of mine, and the mirror swivel can't take the load: every time I hit a bump, or a rough road, the mirror drops. I have tried to compensate with elastic bands, which works gor a while but they quickly rot in the heat and sunlight!

The mirror I have is designed for a left hand drive car, so the camera is on the wrong end of the mirror, and points too much to the left. In theory I could turn it upside down, but then I would have upside down videos, and an upside down screen display.

It eats micro SD cards. They do not seem to last long, whether it's the heat or the constant recycling, but they only last months.

To use it for navigation, it's almost useless, the screen is not bright enough and the print too small in full daylight. At night it's too bright and blots out the mirror!

I would not buy another, I would have a separate dash-mount camera.

 

[pineapple01]

My Car puts a nearside camera on the screen when tuning left so i cant see any reason the mirror should be a distraction.

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

I think you will find the units are all switchable between full screen, window, split etc. The unit is both a screen and a mirror, one of the buttons on the unit/menu changes whats on the screen. I have had 3-4 of these units in my last 3 cars., they all operated the same, a choice of full screen or window, size of window and location on the screen. Most have a default power on display in a window, switch to full screen when reverse is selected, or playback.

 

Yes, a bit more research has shed some light so to speak. It is not a "normal" mirror, where the glass has a silver coating on the back but a special reflective glass and light behind the glass can be seen through it.

Difficult to see that during demonstration and apologies for the misunderstanding.