§ Sir George Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make it compulsory for all vehicles to have wing mirrors on both sides in order to improve the awareness of cyclists.
§ Mr. MarksWe shall shortly be introducing a new regulation which will make it compulsory for all new cars, goods and passenger vehicles to have two rear-view mirrors. This requirement would normally be met by the provision of an interior mirror and an exterior mirror on the offside. We intend to allow motorists a choice between wing- and door-mounted exterior mirrors, as both kinds have their own particular merits.
Although, for most vehicles, an exterior mirror on the nearside would not be required, any motorist who wished to fit such a mirror would be free to do so. In practice, of course, many cars are already fitted with an exterior mirror on each side.