Backup cameras mandatory by 2018

[Boston Fit]

NHTSA is requiring all new cars to have backup cameras by May 2018. It's already standard on Civics, so I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes more or less industry-standard on a voluntary basis even sooner than that.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/31/autos/r ... ?hpt=hp_t2

[ClutchDisc]

That is the most stupid law I have heard in a while....I wouldn't use it if I had it. I can see a bunch of people hitting all kinds of things because their eyes are glued to the backup camera instead of looking at their surroundings...

Waste of time, energy and money. I'm going to buy older cars from now on..

[monkeyhunk]

I don't know if I want to live in this world.

[theholycow]

That is the most stupid law I have heard in a while....I wouldn't use it if I had it. I can see a bunch of people hitting all kinds of things because their eyes are glued to the backup camera instead of looking at their surroundings...

Agreed.

Also, since they're already putting the LCD and video driver circuit in, they're probably going to take advantage of that and integrate various other functions for not much more money. That's more crap that people will be fiddling with.

Waste of time, energy and money. I'm going to buy older cars from now on..

Like this is the straw that broke the camel's back, you were otherwise going to buy new cars? The apple doesn't fall THAT far from the tree, at least not until you move out and get some other influences and different problems. (Not busting your chops here, just having fun that I hope you'll enjoy too.)

I don't know if I want to live in this world.

[ClutchDisc]

Agreed.

Also, since they're already putting the LCD and video driver circuit in, they're probably going to take advantage of that and integrate various other functions for not much more money. That's more crap that people will be fiddling with.

Yeah, it all keeps getting added on. People are distracted enough already..

Like this is the straw that broke the camel's back, you were otherwise going to buy new cars? The apple doesn't fall THAT far from the tree, at least not until you move out and get some other influences and different problems. (Not busting your chops here, just having fun that I hope you'll enjoy too.)

No, I wasn't going to buy new cars anyway....more like just reiterating the way I feel about them.

[ClutchFork]

The day is coming that you will not be able to buy a car you can control. All will be controlled by central planners just like a socialist society. You will not even have a brake pedal. If you wish to drive an old car, it may have severe restrictions where you can drive it (like your backyard). The central planners know better than us and the masses have been brainwashed into believing that they have to have personal electronic devices on wheels.

The golden age of the automobile is gone. It began to end with on board diagnostics and now we are driving computers that can and will bug on us.

Read here about all the computer garbage on modern automobiles and all the security risks it poses.

[theholycow]

The day is coming that you will not be able to buy a car you can control. All will be controlled by central planners just like a socialist society. You will not even have a brake pedal.

Before that happens there WILL be a brake pedal...but everything else will be gone.

[Shadow]

That is the most stupid law I have heard in a while....I wouldn't use it if I had it. I can see a bunch of people hitting all kinds of things because their eyes are glued to the backup camera instead of looking at their surroundings...

Waste of time, energy and money. I'm going to buy older cars from now on..

You say that, but have you ever actually driven a car that had a back-up cam? They are very useful and with the wide-angle lens, you'd have to be an idiot to hit anything behind you while looking at the screen.

[Shadow]

The new Nissan Rogue is a $20 thousand something SUV that can be equipped with four cams (front, rear, and both sides) for a all-around view. It's a bit overkill, but I've seen it and it's awesome. This is technology that used to be only on luxury cars, and now it's on entry-level SUVs. And my personal view is that rear cams are awesome because you can't possibly beat them when it comes to rear visibility. Front and side view cams, on the other hand, seem a bit gimmicky to me because I don't really see the benefit anywhere near as much as I see the benefit of rear cams.

You guys don't like this stuff? Well, get over it. It's technology and it isn't going away. Don't look now, but all of this "tech" that we are forced to pay for (at least for now, when it comes to those those who buy new cars and later for people who buy used) is called progress, like it or not. We aren't going back to hand-crank starters, so learn to live with progress. If you truly don't like something as useful as a back-up cam, then just don't use it. Complaining about it is futile....

[Rope-Pusher]

[Boston Fit]

If this measure is expected to save 60+ children from dying every year, then I'm for it. Having a small screen showing what's behind your car during the few seconds you might spend in Reverse every day is, at best, a life-saver and, at worst, something the driver is free to ignore.

[watkins]

I use backup cameras every day. Makes bringing cars in and out of the shop way easier. I also still use my mirrors and turn in my seat. As far as I am concerned, backup cameras are for final adjustment and making sure you have rear clearance. Any large reverse maneuvers should be completed with mirrors or by turning in the seat.

[tankinbeans]

The technology isn't the problem, it's the people who use it as a replacement to their vigilance instead of an additional aid. The people who aren't aware of their surroundings are going to be a problem no matter how much technology they have. If I had this I wouldn't use it as a replacement, but what it's intended for - allowing me to see things below the greenhouse. I constantly scan everything anyway.

I'd use a backup camera to aid in parallel parking, something which I admit I'm not the best at (having grown up in the 'burbs with plenty of big a$$ lots not requiring it), especially in my Blazer. I've gotten to the point where I will get out and lift the gate to get into a spot with slamming into other cars. Admittedly it's only in my driveway that I have to parallel park with any frequency.

[theholycow]

The technology isn't the problem, it's the people who use it as a replacement to their vigilance instead of an additional aid. The people who aren't aware of their surroundings are going to be a problem no matter how much technology they have. If I had this I wouldn't use it as a replacement, but what it's intended for - allowing me to see things below the greenhouse. I constantly scan everything anyway.

[ClutchDisc]

I always look behind the car before I back up anyway...so I see no point in a backup camera. If I ever had to have one in my car, I would cover it up with something so that I wouldn't have to look at it.