Drivers traveling a rural road north of Gresham, Oregon, often see a tall, skinny wooden structure by a driveway. The structure is about 15 feet tall, has siding and a small pitched roof, and has a lower, glass panel facing the driveway. It is not a deer feeder, tree house, or mailbox. It is something altogether different.

To the locals, it is called a driveway periscope.

A Simple Solution for a Visibility Problem
Most rural driveways leave the property at an unmarked road and without the benefit of sight distance along the road because of a hill, fence, or treed area. The typical response from homeowners, along the road or not is to install a convex mirror across the street. What this structure solves is another challenge, while adding another level of response. Using a set of angled mirrors, similar to a submarine periscope, the driver can see traffic on the road before heading into the street. The upper section of the tower captures the view of traffic on the road. Inside mirrors reflect the traffic view downward onto the window at the bottom of the structure where the driver can check for oncoming traffic.

No electricity, no technology – just physics and a good design.