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Ignoring the regulation for a moment, current camera systems are a bit lacking. Those of us who had good driver training will always look over our shoulder when

Ignoring the regulation for a moment, current camera systems are a bit lacking. Those of us who had good driver training will always look over our shoulder when reversing, occasionally checking the near-side mirror if needed. Facing forward to use a screen feels weird. And it's worse than that: Reversing cameras always send their output to the big screen on the center console, which is bad for three reasons: 1. It's low down, so you lose part of your peripheral vision which ends up just picking up the car's interior. 2. When you're reversing on a road, but facing forwards to look at the screen, you can't see out the side windows to check for approaching cars heading towards your rear. 3. Your peripheral vision is further affected by your focus on a narrow, highly detailed area - that 9" screen showing a wide-angle view. Your brain concentrates just on that 'important' area. It's entirely different to looking out the back window when everything is at the same scale, peripheral and central. You end up being forced to trust the screen completely, which just isn't sensible. Having tried a few on rental cars, I'm very uncomfortable with the constant attention swapping you end up doing between the screen and the rear window. These cameras can only be beneficial to people backing out of driveways (which is the point of the law), but they're not a panacea and I'm not convinced they're a substitute for an alert driver using mirrors and windows. A useful additional tool, for sure, but will they be used that way? An audible proximity alarm feels like a more reasonable thing to mandate to me.

stronglikedan 13y ago
> Reversing cameras always send their output to the big screen on the center console The newer Acura MDXs have a dedicated screen built into the rear-view mirror hanging from the windshield. It looks like a normal mirror until you put it in reverse, and then you can see the output from the backup camera in the left side of the mirror. It's better than most, but still doesn't solve #2 and #3 from your points. Basically, be smart and only use it if/when necessary. Use it only as a tool and not the tool.
- scrumper 13y ago
  > Basically, be smart and only use it if/when necessary. Use it only as a tool and not the tool. Absolutely. I was trying to get that across. I worry a bit that the regulation will make people think of cameras as all they need to look at.
  - stronglikedan 13y ago
    I hope not. I think it will be like rear/side mirrors. You can use only mirrors to back up, but eventually, they will not be enough, and you will impact something. I think that the same people that don't look now are the same people that won't look then.

stronglikedan 13y ago

> Reversing cameras always send their output to the big screen on the center console The newer Acura MDXs have a dedicated screen built into the rear-view mirror hanging from the windshield. It looks like a normal mirror until you put it in reverse, and then you can see the output from the backup camera in the left side of the mirror. It's better than most, but still doesn't solve #2 and #3 from your points. Basically, be smart and only use it if/when necessary. Use it only as a tool and not the tool.

scrumper 13y ago
> Basically, be smart and only use it if/when necessary. Use it only as a tool and not the tool. Absolutely. I was trying to get that across. I worry a bit that the regulation will make people think of cameras as all they need to look at.
- stronglikedan 13y ago
  I hope not. I think it will be like rear/side mirrors. You can use only mirrors to back up, but eventually, they will not be enough, and you will impact something. I think that the same people that don't look now are the same people that won't look then.