THE DISCREPANCY // 042
The reported version makes the mirror warning conditional. The NHTSA historical reference uses a definite statement. The comparison concerns wording on the convex mirror, not whether objects can appear farther away in its reflection.
⌁
A faint mark reads MAY / BE. The two words are hiding beneath the reflection.
REMEMBER A PARTICULAR CAR
Record the vehicle, approximate year and which mirror you picture. A driver-side flat mirror and a passenger-side convex one may be different objects. Keep the whole etched line and mirror in view. A remembered warning without an identifiable surface leaves several possible trails open.
THE SMALL WORDS UNDER THE VIEW
The linked historical interpretation quotes the reference text. It supplies a dated comparison, not a photograph of your own vehicle. If you find a different inscription, preserve the maker and surrounding mirror. The unsettling part is how often a word meaning possibility is remembered where the reference speaks with certainty.
Keep your first version
Record the detail before opening a reference. Keep the exact object, release or edition with your comparison. A first recollection and a later discovery can be followed as separate traces.
FOLLOW THE SOURCES
Reference material for this particular object, wording or version.
Independent collection of commonly reported discrepancies.