# Backup Cameras required by law- not the best solution... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2014, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309 "2014-02-26T10:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/21 "2014-02-26T15:28:37Z")
Those people are using it wrong. I love mine. It’s not supposed to be a replacement for watching behind you, it’s just another angle to check, and one that was impossible to check before - directly behind you. I am much more confident when in reverse now, and that’s wonderful. I do have poor spatial awareness when backing out, and trust me, it’s not something you can practice - my brain doesn’t work very well in that area. Having the camera lets me back into a space if I need to, which before would have taken me 5 minutes and given me a panic attack. Ditto for backing down a long narrow driveway or backing out onto a busy road. It’s wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/22 "2014-02-26T15:41:45Z")
It’s an excellent device when used properly. If someone is already a well-trained driver, it is nothing but a safety enhancement. My belief is that anyone who is a hazard when using a backup camera was a hazard before without it and just didn’t realize it. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/23 "2014-02-26T15:47:40Z")
F-ing George Bush. This is just another example of his failed Republican Nanny State. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/24 "2014-02-26T15:49:43Z")
I have a 2008 Prius that came standard with the backup cam. I’ve got the car in the shop for some body work and have a rental 2013 Chevy Cruze which does not have a backup cam. Here’s the thing, we have a narrow driveway due to this winter’s snow fall and the boulevard has pile of white mess 5 feet high. With mirrors, I can see directly behind me in both cars. With the Prius, the backup cam with its slight fisheye curved lens allows me to see more and from a better angle too-4 feet further behind me. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/25 "2014-02-26T15:56:34Z")
When backing up I always turn my head around and look with my eyes at what is behind me and peripherally off to or approaching the sides. I would never trust the backup camera to do this. If a kid/car/dog/baby stroller etc. is going down the street behind me I am not going to see it in the camera until it is too late. But the backup camera is not completely useless. I think it is good for: 1. A quick glance to double check no small kid is playing down low and out of view from the windows. 2. Confidently backing up a far as possible to clear tight parking alleys. 3. Entertaining the small children in the back seat who watch it far more intently that I do. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/26 "2014-02-26T16:47:41Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > And everyone doesn’t have the luxury of turning his/her head around and look, we use our mirrors. Turning around to look backing up isn’t exactly easy after a two-level cervical spine fusion! :smack: (Courtesy of a 2005 drunk driver) I’m only going to point this out because I’ve seen you make a number of similar threads on topics like these, but your previous posts didn’t give this impression, like the one [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16301403&postcount=3). Your situation may not be favorable or ideal, but your habits _are_ increasing the chances of causing a crash, which now endangers others. But this behavior seems to be consistent elsewhere, too. _From a similar thread on blind spot monitors:_ > [@Auto "Safety" Technolgy is getting out of hand....](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-safety-technolgy-is-getting-out-of-hand/660009/1): > > The only time I find it annoying is when I’m stuck behind slow drivers in both lanes and have to squeeze in and out of tight spots so I can get behind them and shine my Xenon headlights into their mirror to make them move out of the left lane or to be able to fly around them…it’s amazing how well a 4500lb Full-size Crossover/SUV will squeeze in between cars and zip in and out of traffic…that’s why I bought it! But the Blind Spot Monitor goes apeshit non-stop when I’m driving like that and I switch it off temporarily. It really does sound like you’re creating excuses to drive the way you want to. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/27 "2014-02-26T17:08:18Z")
The backup camera on my 2010 Ford Escape pops up in a little square on the near end of my rearview mirror, so consulting the camera does not require me to look anywhere that I wouldn’t otherwise be looking anyway. It shows fixed sight lines to help me judge distance, and it also beeps if I get too close to something, so I don’t really have to pay more than cursory visual attention anyway. It sounds like other manufacturers might benefit from adopting some of these features. > [@Beelzebubba](#): > > But they don’t speculate on how many of those 92-112 saved lives will still suffer traumatic injuries. It seems to me that the backup camera would either prevent a collision or it wouldn’t; i.e., some people still get hit like they would if there were no camera, and some walk away uninjured. I don’t see how the camera leads to a class of incidents where the camera prevents someone from being killed, but still permits enough of a collision to cause serious injury. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/28 "2014-02-26T17:13:31Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > FYI, there was NO Mazda6 Wagon when I bought my CX-9. 2007 was the final year for the Mazda6 SportWagon in the U.S. market. A fact that I’m well aware of and constantly bemoan. Wagons are dead because consumers prefer SUVs. As a wagon lover, I now blame all SUV buyers for ruining it for the rest of us. > [@Beelzebubba](#): > > I do agree with you on one point. The rear outward visibility in the '88-'91 Civic Hatchback was amazing, but the crashworthiness probably would be pathetic compared to any new car today. > > And everyone doesn’t have the luxury of turning his/her head around and look, we use our mirrors. Turning around to look backing up isn’t exactly easy after a two-level cervical spine fusion! :smack: (Courtesy of a 2005 drunk driver) I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s no excuse for a lack situational awareness. It’s true that the EF Civic isn’t a viable option anymore, but there’s a vast gulf in visibility between a Yaris and a Sienna. You can see a toddler standing behind a Yaris or a Corolla a few feet away, the same isn’t true for the Sienna (or Highlander, or Rav4, or Venza, or 4Runner, just to pick on Toyota). The camera isn’t there as a replacement for mirrors and head turning, but simply to provide visibility to a blind spot which is now much larger than it used to be in the past thanks in small part to crash standards, and large part to consumer preference. It’s the responsibility of owners of new cars with large blind spots to learn how to safely use this new technology. Now, if there’s some study that shows that backup cameras don’t save lives, that’d be one thing, but I haven’t seen anything like that. If it’s just your anecdote that you don’t like using it, or that you’re incapable of using it effectively, that’s much less persuasive. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/29 "2014-02-26T17:20:08Z")
I want the screen for the backup camera on the rear window. That way I can see it when looking backwards. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/30 "2014-02-26T17:40:15Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I want the screen for the backup camera on the rear window. That way I can see it when looking backwards. Now this is an interesting idea… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/31 "2014-02-26T17:50:07Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I want the screen for the backup camera on the rear window. That way I can see it when looking backwards. And a forward camera on the front window! And I want it all mounted in my living room so I can drive my drone car from home while watching TV!!! ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/32 "2014-02-26T18:02:27Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > And a forward camera on the front window! And I want it all mounted in my living room so I can drive my drone car from home while watching TV!!! Even if you’re looking backwards, there are blind spots down below that you can’t see. There could be obstructions, pets, kids, etc. If they have to have a backup camera, put it on the back window. I think having it on the dashboard makes things more dangerous. For those 294 people killed, would a dashboard image have helped? What were those drivers doing? Why weren’t the people visible to the driver? My hunch is that the drivers were acting irresponsibly and the camera wouldn’t have made all that much difference. The exceptions would be if there were kids or something playing behind the car where even a responsible driver wouldn’t have seen them. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/33 "2014-02-26T18:05:06Z")
I want my '53 Pontiac back. No computers to fry when an EMP hits, no $5-zillion catalytic-converter donation to Midnight Auto Parts, no $150 fee to plug into a computer scanner because the gas cap isn’t tight, no need for a TV station in the back bumper — a REAL back bumper — smf an iron block, an iron head and two-tone. Civilization is doomed. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/34 "2014-02-26T19:00:52Z")
Your '53 Pontiac was a deathtrap compared to modern cars. Steering columns weren’t crushable - have fun literally _being impaled_ in a head-on collision. Also, having a rigid steel body is _not a good thing_. The energy/force from an impact will travel. If you have steel - a metal that will not absorb that energy - that force is going to keep going … Transferring to a much more absorbent, squishy human. Crumple zones et al may _look_ like shit after it’s hit, but that’s because it’s doing its damn job: absorbing force before it travels to you. [Just watch this crash comparison between a '59 Bel Air and an '09 Malibu](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/35 "2014-02-26T19:54:48Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > I want my '53 Pontiac back. > no $150 fee to plug into a computer scanner because the gas cap isn’t tight You can buy your own scanner for less than 20 bucks. I ordered one on a Wednesday through Amazon, had it on Friday. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/36 "2014-02-26T19:59:08Z")
He can buy his own '53 Pontiac too, if he wants. They still exist. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/37 "2014-02-26T20:05:14Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Wow. A big, honkin’ 294. But nothing is being done to reduce the 50k+ annual deaths from car crashes. I would much rather have dash cameras be standard equipment on all cars. It probably wouldn’t prevent any collisions, but at least we’d have clearer evidence of what happened. Plus, I would just a like a record of all the dumb shit I see people do on the road on a daily basis, but I suppose I could just buy and install a dash cam myself. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/38 "2014-02-26T20:25:34Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I would much rather have dash cameras be standard equipment on all cars. It probably wouldn’t prevent any collisions, but at least we’d have clearer evidence of what happened. > > Plus, I would just a like a record of all the dumb shit I see people do on the road on a daily basis, but I suppose I could just buy and install a dash cam myself. I’ve been looking at various units, myself. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/39 "2014-02-26T23:26:20Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > I do agree with you on one point. The rear outward visibility in the '88-'91 Civic Hatchback was amazing, but the crashworthiness probably would be pathetic compared to any new car today. > > And everyone doesn’t have the luxury of turning his/her head around and look, we use our mirrors. Turning around to look backing up isn’t exactly easy after a two-level cervical spine fusion! :smack: (Courtesy of a 2005 drunk driver) Sorry, then you should NOT be driving. Sucks, but you are now driving while impaired, just as bad as if you were major sleepy or on drink or drugs. If you can not manage to turn your head, you are now a hazard. I hate to tell this to someone on a board I inhabit, but you hit me in an accident and it turns out it is because you couldn’t turn your head, I will sue your ass for as much as I need to support me in my injured and disabled state. Christ on a freaking crutch, how frequently do we bitch on this board about idiot drivers doing something that prevents them from seeing and driving their vehicles? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309/40 "2014-02-27T00:32:47Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > Another major problem I have with so many new cars (with or w/o the stupid backup camera) is the touch-screen display replacing much simpler (and safer to use while driving) knobs and buttons for climate control and audio! I didn’t back over anyone today, but I accidentally mowed down a cross-walk full of kids trying to change the radio station! :smack: That one IS quite annoying. I have a feeling that it’s a trick to drive up demand for voice-commanded vehicle systems. (“Siri, turn on defrost mode and line up my unlistened podcasts from last weet until today”) My only experience with backup cameras (I own a 2009 midrange model, it was a pricey option at the time) have been rentals in the last few years, and the main use I’ve given them is for back-in parking of unfamiliar cars in unfamiliar lots, or for tight parallel parking of said unfamiliar car (so I can check if I actually fit and am not hitting some object), as it takes me a goodly time to get a good feel for where the “new” car begins and ends; but even then I still work mostly with mirrors and turning to look whether or not the car has the camera, I mostly go to it if I don’t have a clear LOS to whether I’m too close. (And by doing back-in parking, that means pulling OUT of the spot I will be moving forward and have a much better range of visibility; I try to do it if circumstances allow it). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backup-cameras-required-by-law-not-the-best-solution/682309.md?page=3)