So I can’t have a TV where I can see it but I can have a TV where I can see it.
I have to wonder when these backup cameras will be mandated for vehicles not originally outfitted with them.
Somehow a 71 honda with a “backup camera” seems an odd idea.
That should add a pretty good increase to the price of a car. People who need a camera to see what is behind them before they back up have no business operating a motor vehicle. Isn’t any dumbass camera going to help them either. IMHO.
BTTT
This issue doesn’t bother me too much. The technology isn’t all that cost prohibitive, and the benefits in terms of safety and convenience are decent. It does bother me, however, to have the State prescribe it. Just because the tool is there doesn’t mean people will use it as intended.
What would be more useful than a camera would be a system that senses when something is too close to the back of the vehicle and sends a warning to stop.
A camera isn’t any good, if it doesn’t really alert anybody that somebody might be behind them.
The coming government hypocrisy is going to be laws against recording video with law enforcement from cameras inside your vehicle. Bet on that.
I've always wondered what happens when Nanny State collides head-on with Police State. Guess we'll get to find out.
When it gets right down to it, this will add over a thousand dollars to the price of cars, cars that are becoming more and more unaffordable. And I guarantee, no one is going to pay any attention to the display after the novelty wears off.
All because a few hundred injuries out of a total population of almost 400 million.
Please.
Will they have a memory feature where you can save the plate number of a tailgater and send it to the Highway Cops?
I have a dash cam that has recorded quite a few “creative driving incidents”.
Raising the prices on starter vehicles that the poor might otherwise afford and also raising the prices of non-compliant used cars, which will be more sought after by those who cannot afford a 3 cylinder car with new mandated technology.
Honda Makes Backup Cameras Standard on Most Models
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2012/07/honda-makes-backup-cameras-standard-on-most-models.html
Starting with the 2013 model year, a backup camera will be standard on the redesigned Honda Accord along with the Crosstour, Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline and CR-Z. That means Honda’s 12-model lineup goes from having just two models with a standard backup camera — the FCX Clarity hydrogen vehicle and the CR-V crossover — to nine models. A backup camera was already standard on the 2012 Honda CR-V and remains that way for the 2013 model year. The 2013 Honda Fit EV also has a standard backup camera.
That’s a drastic change for Honda; previously, backup cameras were an option that had to be coupled with an expensive navigation system. In fact, the update means Honda offers a backup camera on more of its lineup than any other mainstream automaker – other strong contenders include Kia and Hyundai.
Why the change? The possibility that backup cameras will be mandated for all passenger vehicles by 2014 (though it looks like that rule may be delayed) was probably a motivating factor. “We’ve definitely known about the possibility of legislation down the pike, but we didn’t have to start this early,” Honda spokesman Chris Martin said. Honda’s more immediate considerations for the cameras were financial and design oriented, Martin says.
Why do they want a picture of my rearview?
I rented a Corolla a few months ago that had one. Given the low seats and high trunk on most modern cars, I found it really helpful in backing an unfamiliar vehicle. I’m considering retrofitting my old car. I’ve seen stand alone units at the auto parts store, and I’ve seen add-ons for GPS. Certainly more useful than airbags.
Find out which senators, cabinet members or Obama cronies have a wife, husband, sister or brother involved in the manufaturing, importation and distribution of the cameras.
Hello...sidewalks? Whoever said that is right - by the time the camera picks up a pedestrian or a bicyclist right behind your vehicle, it's probably too late!
Plus, it's one more "electronic" to go wrong.
Plus, that's also why they make "spotting mirrors".
Plus, most newer vehicles (our '06 F150, for example) already have a "beeper" that goes off when you get within 10 feet of anything with your back bumper...it can actually be annoying, if there's a little shrub behind the parking space you're backing into!!
Of course, that's US...we don't drive cars we can't handle, and we use all due care, which is more considerable with the truck's sightlines/mirrors than with my petite '98 Explorer Sport.
We've never run over anything or anyone in any of our cars, with the exception of backing over a bicycle one time ("sans" a person...it was one of our bikes, that we forgot to load) and running over a Crockpot that I set down in the middle of the driveway to open the gate...LOL
SO, I guess the question really is, how much mandated "automating and idiot-proofing" of our vehicles should we have to accept, so incompetent and careless people are permitted to drive?
Or, "kinder, gentler"...if it's a great "option", and affordable, can it just be an "option" (for a small extra price)?!
Why manufacture vehicles where you can't see out the side and rear windows? Or conversely, why BUY a vehicle that you can't see out of? Is that the problem?
Do they have this in France and Germany? (the "Autobahn", you know - HA!)
I was thinking about getting one anyway, for my car. It seems like a very good idea.