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I was taught to never back a vehicle up without physically turning around to look out the back window, as rear and side-view mirrors don't give a 100% view of w

I was taught to never back a vehicle up without physically turning around to look out the back window, as rear and side-view mirrors don't give a 100% view of what's behind you. When I see someone using just mirrors to back up, I perceive it as lazy or irresponsible driving behavior. Driving a box truck with no rear visibility makes me uncomfortable and I'll use a spotter to reverse. If you can't (or won't) look and see behind you, you should NOT be driving in that direction. Will cameras fix this problem? The article states that "There are nearly 210 backover deaths each year." I wonder how the overall safety of a vehicle and its driver will be impacted by the addition of a possibly distracting LCD in the front seat. Maybe fewer collisions while reversing, but how many additional distracted driving cases while driving forward and playing with the car computer?

EliRivers 13y ago
Looking out the window also doesn't give you a 100% view. There's a massive blind spot below your eye level behind the car.
- chadillac 13y ago
  Let's not forget these systems typically have a distance sensor setup with audible tone. Having some more accurate gauge of obstacles and their relative distances and the improved visibility is a no brainer. When I read this headline the first thing I thought was "good, finally."
  - drcube 13y ago
    So why weren't those sensors and alarms mandated, as opposed to a redundant and distracting in-car CCTV system?
- adventured 13y ago
  Children moving around the back side of cars in parking lots for example. I find myself always being extra careful when backing up in eg Target or Walmart parking lots for this reason. Seems like an ideal use case for cameras.
CWuestefeld 13y ago
I wonder if anyone has investigated the effect that back-up cameras have on mirror usage. It may be that by having drivers take their eyes off the mirrors when backing up (because they're now looking at the camera display on the dash), they won't be alert to vehicles approaching from the sides. It seems to me that this could increase the likelihood of pulling out in front of someone, and increasing that kind of crash. As with red-light cameras, it seems like there might be unintended consequences that someone should look at.

EliRivers 13y ago

Looking out the window also doesn't give you a 100% view. There's a massive blind spot below your eye level behind the car.

chadillac 13y ago
Let's not forget these systems typically have a distance sensor setup with audible tone. Having some more accurate gauge of obstacles and their relative distances and the improved visibility is a no brainer. When I read this headline the first thing I thought was "good, finally."
- drcube 13y ago
  So why weren't those sensors and alarms mandated, as opposed to a redundant and distracting in-car CCTV system?
adventured 13y ago
Children moving around the back side of cars in parking lots for example. I find myself always being extra careful when backing up in eg Target or Walmart parking lots for this reason. Seems like an ideal use case for cameras.

CWuestefeld 13y ago

I wonder if anyone has investigated the effect that back-up cameras have on mirror usage. It may be that by having drivers take their eyes off the mirrors when backing up (because they're now looking at the camera display on the dash), they won't be alert to vehicles approaching from the sides. It seems to me that this could increase the likelihood of pulling out in front of someone, and increasing that kind of crash. As with red-light cameras, it seems like there might be unintended consequences that someone should look at.