Disagree Whitey, looking out the back window in todays cars leaves a very large blind spot. In fact, you can see better using your rear view mirrors than by turning around. The blind spot cameras are a quantum leap better than “something you can do for yourself.”
Looking out the back window allows you to use your peripheral vision to spot hazards. Using your mirrors is no substitute, and was never intended to be. Before backing up or changing lanes, I always look over my shoulder, because mirrors are meant to supplement looking over your shoulder, not replace it.
That still doesn’t explain why checking the camera monitor would prevent you from checking your mirrors. Wouldn’t conscientious drivers check their mirrors whether they have a camera or not? Wouldn’t reckless drivers still not check their mirrors whether they have a camera or not?
Explain to me how having a backup camera will make drivers less careful than they are already.
The height of a child is well below your vision field on many(most ) cars. There is no way I can see that area in all the cars and trucks I have owned in the past 40 years. The only exceptions are regular cab pick ups with the tail gate down. Side view mirrors are excellent adjuncts but still leave a blind spot in the mist critical collision area. One thing I am most impressed with on those with them well calibrated, are the grid lines. They can on some cars do an excellent job of estimating distance and are a big help lining up trailers. IMHO, that is worth the price of admission.
Whitey, you are confusing me. Are you for or against the back up cameras?
Carefulness or carelessness is a matter of attitude, not technology. The cameras are a tool that measurably improves rearward visibility when in reverse, that is all. If someone has their head stuck up their butt, then nothing is going to help short of an autonomous driving system that removes the human from the equation.
“If someone has their head stuck up their butt, then nothing is going to help short of an autonomous driving system that removes the human from the equation.”
Thank you. That is the point I was making, and since you said you disagreed, I thought you did.
The height of a child is well below your vision field on many(most ) cars. There is no way I can see that area in all the cars and trucks I have owned in the past 40 years.
I agree with that…HOWEVER…I always found that if I’m aware of my surroundings and people…that when I start to back up I know if someone is behind me. I can’t tell you how many times when my kids were small and had GROUPS OF KIDS (like 10 or more) playing in the yard and driveway. I made sure I knew EXACTLY where they were before I began to move.
Will a backup camera help in this situation? Sure it will. Will it make me more safe? No - because I already was safe. But it does make it easier.
No matter how the rear camera is mounted or what kind of monitor it is connected to, it will never replace something you do for yourself.
This is the part I disagree with. Maybe I am misinterpreting what you are trying to say, but the way I am interpreting that statement, I have to disagree strongly. The way I am interpreting it is something like, if you will just look for yourself, you don’t need a camera.
My feelings are that the camera is a very useful tool and greatly enhances visibility to the rear. It allows you to see what you can’t see by using your mirrors or turning around. But it cannot make you see, it can only help you see.
I work as a teacher for nearly 40 years at a high school. The first four years though, were in and around elementary schools. Even though you always tried to " check" your surroundings, it is always Some of the most high risk situations you can ever imagine and I worried constantly and never felt so self assured. Because I had small kids of my own, I was absolutely paranoid driving a car with any kids in the area. It was so bad, I would glance under my car before I got in as well.
Even if you were in a “rush”, you don’t move that way. Even knowing your surroundings before you get into a car, is no guarantee if will remain clear around kids that you may never notice when in the driver’s seat. I envy people who know where kids are and will be without them in your constant vision. Give me a back up camera in addition to good strategies.
It’s beginning to sound like this perpetual argument about 4wd vs tires that are good in snow. Why do we have to decide on one over the other ? Yes, it definitely makes it safer.
Even if you were in a "rush", you don't move that way. Even knowing your surroundings before you get into a car, is no guarantee if will remain clear around kids that you may never notice when in the driver's seat. I envy people who know where kids are and will be without them in your constant vision. Give me a back up camera in addition to good strategies.
So how many kids did you run over when you didn’t have the back-up camera???
@keith, yeah, I guess I could have been more clear. The point I was trying to make is that having a rear camera isn’t going to make anyone less safe. People make the case that ABS and stability control give people a false sense of security. That argument I understand. What I don’t understand is why anyone puts backup cameras in the same class. That, I don’t get, and I would appreciate an explanation from anyone who believes that to be the case.
Whenever I visit my mother, and there are children playing in the area when I am ready to leave, I roll down my window and ask the neighbors if all of their children are accounted for. They seem to like playing in my mother’s driveway. If I had a backup camera, I wouldn’t have to ask.
Whitey, I think we are on the same page here. I am not a fan of ABS, traction/stability control or TPMS. Even though I live in the country and don’t have any kids around, I wish my new car had a backup camera for my visits to WalMart and Costco etc. To get it, I would have had to buy a sunroof, leather seats, GPS and some other stuff for an additional $5000. I’m not using half the stuff the new car has now.
. I am not so self assured that just because it did not happen to me when I did not have the technology, it isn’t worthwhile now. Maybe you are. I have aged. I will take all the help I can get. I read about too many older drivers putting others at risk because they over estimate their skills as a driver.
So how many kids did you run over when you didn't have the back-up camera???
You can truly rack that up to pure blind luck. or There but for the grace of God
@dagosa, yeah, the argument that you don’t need a backup camera unless you’ve run over someone in the past is a pretty silly argument to make. The logic of that argument is as fallacious as “in my day we had metal dashboards and no seat belts, so I don’t understand why anyone would want airbags.”
I had a backup camera in a rental car and it was a real help when backing into a parking spot. And this was a small hatchback.
@keith, you don’t necessarily have to buy an upscale model to have a camera. If you wanted one bad enough, you could install an aftermarket unit on your license plate. I’ve thought about doing that myself, but any unit I could buy would probably be worth more than my car. Maybe I’ll do that soon, but I think it would be wiser to get one for my girlfriend’s Hyundai Santa Fe first.
I know that, but does the aftermarket one integrate into the existing display system and is it automatically activated and shut off by the reverse switch?
… probably not, but you never know unless you check. You might consider asking the service department where you bought your car.
If show covering the camera lens is an issue, why don't you clear the snow off the lens? Don't you clear the snow from your windows before you drive? Why wouldn't you do the same for the camera lens?
When starting out, cleaning the lens off is easy, but when you get to your destination, it’s not that easy, especially in a crowded parking lot. You could clear the lens off when you leave, but the snow/rain that’s being sucked into the rear of the car will still cloud the lens by the time you get there.
People probably scoffed at having two side mirrors on cars when they became standard too. And how can you complain about stability control and ABS on cars? (unless they are sports cars and you can’t turn off the stability control)
To me that’s like complaining that disc brakes are too good and wanting to return to drum brakes or cable operated instead of hydraulic brakes. (yes, I remember the post about how someone liked drum brakes better)