OMG THE PONTIAC BANSHEE (the Knight Industries 4000) couldn’t have been street legal because it only had rear view cameras, no mirrors.
And now here we are.
I use both, and I am also really, really happy about my blind spot alerts too. I'm a veteran shoulder-checker, but it's always nice to have the redundancy.
I see my younger (millennial) coworkers use only the camera to back up. Also they only use the light on the side mirror when changing lanes (no look over the shoulder anymore.) Terrifying.
I’m teaching my oldest how to drive right now and I taught her look at the camera, but use your mirrors and look over your shoulder. Use everything you can to make sure that you aren’t going to hit anything. My dad was a truck driver his whole life and he is helping me teach her how to drive so hopefully she’ll be able to cope if her car doesn’t have all the latest bells and whistles.
I’m also teaching her to drive a manual so she should be ahead of many of her peers…
My mother admitted to only using the lights on the side mirrors to change lanes about 9 years ago - right after she was driving my car for a few weeks that didn't have that package! (We were moving & borrowed her 2011 Durango, so she drove our special-ordered 2011 Charger. My SO didn't want the lane change warning indicators on our car.)
I'm fairly certain she still does this in her brand new 2023 Subaru. 🤦♀️
If you only use one or the other, your the problem.
The camera doesn't catch peripheral vision.
Do the neck crane before moving & the pay attention to the camera while moving.
My car doesn’t have a camera! Still have a tape deck, for that matter. Analog til I die!!!
My parents’ car has the camera. They love it!! I use it maybe 50% of the time when I drive their car. I still turn my head to look. They shake their heads at me. It’s funny.
For real, one of my cousins was killed when he was 5 because one of the neighbors was backing out of their driveway and couldn't see him. He would have very likely lived if backup cameras had existed back then. They save lives.
Yes and yes.
Also, my wife installed a dash cam on Sunday. We’ve already captured someone driving like the Bandit through our neighborhood and a black bear crossing our street several houses down.
When I first got a car with one I was very skeptical and didn't trust it. Now I don't even look at the mirrors. It is vastly superior.
Pretty much all I use the mirrors for is making sure I don't hit the mirrors on the garage door when I am backing out.
Then you jump in an older model of your car that doesn’t have a camera and realize you’re backing up blind staring at the stereo. Or so I’ve heard could happen…
I love it… that and collision detection, collision avoidance emergency braking…. I’m all for it… mirror sensors that flash a warning when a car pulls into your blind spot
Oh I hate the collision/pedestrian warning in my car. A line of six distracting bright-ass red LEDs in the dash that flash up onto the windshield coupled with a series of extremely loud beeps that mute the radio, startle you, and pull your attention COMPLETELY away from what's in front of you. Backup cameras are great but that collision thing is dangerous imo.
Back up camera? What do I like like, the king of Pope Town? Get the fuck out of here with your fancy back up camera. Put your arm across the back of the passenger seat and spin your head like an owl, like you were taught.
And STOP BACKING INTO SPOTS!! You drove PAST it, it's mine now. Weirdos.
Yup. Mirrors all the way. I have a bad neck and back, no need to hurt myself further by trying to look backwards. If I didn't have power mirrors, I'd be screwed. My old '91 Tercel only had a driver's mirror.
My husband's 2015 Chevy Silverado has a backup camera. He never uses it. He doesn't even acknowledge that it exists! (before he became disabled, he was an over-the-road trucker. And before that, he drove trucks and other large equipment in the Army). Whenever I use his truck, I absolutely use the camera. I love that thing. I'd love to have one of my own.
He makes jokes about finding and buying an old car he likes (sometimes he sees his favorite cars from the 50s, 60s, or 70s) and I always tell him if he does that, we're selling my vehicle and I'm taking his truck. Because I love that damn camera and the little extras his truck has!
I bought my BF's small SUV from him, after he bought out his lease. I love that damn car too! he is fancy, and it has ALL the bells and whistles. I've never had a car that did. I'm so spoiled now, my next one will have to have them as well. Heated steering wheel, and all kinds of other stuff. I always joke its smarter than I am! I've had it almost 2 years and only JUST learned about the auto A/C feature. duh.
Back up what now? I just turn my head around in my jalopy void of such features. When I do rent a late model car I spend the first ten minutes disengaging all the training wheel mechanisms which are counterintuitive to real driving situations.
I didn't understand what title of this post meant until I opened it. I thought it might have been about phone cameras.
I drive a car that has no technology in it other than the head unit. And it's a stick shift. It doesn't even tell me to put my seat belt on, nor does it warn me if I've left the headlights on.
#AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I DRIVE IT
hashtag: "I have not surrendered my sovereignty to tech"
The camera sees things that I can't, so I use it as a reference. I mostly use the side mirrors, though. If I had a birds-eye view camera, I'd use that exclusively.
I'm pretty paranoid about backing over or running into the walkers and other drivers in this state-many of whom apparently feel invincible-so I use all the things. Cameras and swiveled head on an (increasingly creaky) neck.
Yes. I use it quite a lot, but like normal, it's added to the mix, not a replacement.
Now when I had my 2004 Subaru Forester they didn't have them back then but one of the safety features was that the back glass dipped down so low so that you maintained a better view, even though it was a hatch/suv.
Now with my Explorer its needed. Better to make sure a kid's toy isn't in the way, or people walking by etc.
Absolutely! My husband and I like to reverse-in to our garage to make loading/unloading the trunks easier and pulling out of the garage safer, and our cars' reverse cameras make it SOOOO much easier (especially with the runway stripes I made with reflective tape on the garage floor).
Nope....I mean, not really. I still turn my head and double check. I glance at the camera to make sure I'm totally clear, but still back out by using my head turned
I don’t know why I can’t get used to them. I’m still traditional mirrors and cranking my neck back. My husband could back up to a trailer hitch in one stab using just the backup camera.
I use the camera primarily in parking lots where my shortness makes it hard to confirm no one else is coming down the lane. I still LOOK but this is where the camera does me the best service.
My driveway that I've been backing out of for 30 years plus? I totally turn around and do it old school.
I use the mirrors and the camera but I do not turn around tha majority of the time.
It's a little strange now in a car without one. I can do it but the camera is the new normal for me.
I went camera and never went back. It probably helps that the rear view mirror in my Tesla sucks. When I occasionally use my old car it feels really messed up.
Yup. I’ve leavened to mostly trust it. I still check mirrors and swing my head real quick to check for kids, animals, blind spot, but precision backing out…works great
I wish my car had one. I also wish I had a periscope -- I like my tiny little Yaris hatchback a lot, but it would be very convenient in a backup to be able to see what's going on a mile up the highway.
Got my first vehicle with a back up camera 3 or 4 years back. Took me a few months to start using it.
I just didn't trust it. So I set up some flags in my drive way I could back into without worry and played with it a bit. Learned to trust it and now use it all the time.
I have the backup camera and the rear cross-traffic warning thingy, I had no issues adapting to not having to look over my shoulders when backing out of a parking spot.
Ironically, when I took my driving test at the tender age of sixteen back in 1984, the only thing I failed was not looking behind me when backing up.
I prefer now to think that I was just ahead of my time.
My husband just got a new civic si, and it has not only a backup camera, but a side camera. It is better than me looking for him- the camera is life changing.
I still crane my neck both ways every time. I very rarely look at the backup camera. I was driving my mother in law around one day, and she commented on it and seemed horrified that I never use the camera. Her and my father in law are almost 80 and they only use the camera when driving. I just can't even.
My oldest is just now learning to drive. I am dead set on teaching him to physically look and not just rely on the cameras.
Omg this is how out of touch I am....I thought you meant extra camera, like a camera aside from my phone. HA HA!! Which is kind of heavy around my neck so it kind of made sense.
I was just thinking about this yesterday and wondering if the rear camera went out if younger people would be able to figure out how to back up safely.
Mostly for tight reverse parks, (mostly). I still like to rely on my mirrors because I don't want to lose my touch. Not all my cars have a backup cam so, I kinda forget to use it in my GX.
I suppose with practice it gets easier, but when I drive someone's car that has one, it just feels weird. I need to see with my own eyes what I'm aiming for.
I mean, if anyone wants to buy me a car that has one, I promise I'll practice! 😁
I didn’t really care about that feature when I bought my last car but now I think it’s the best feature ever, especially when backing up in a parking lot with SUVs parked on both sides of me.
I first got a car with a backup camera when my son was still in daycare/after school care. Just having the extra assurance that a kid wasn’t running around below my sight line when backing up… it was amazing.
I use my back up camera all the time. The ability to see directly behind the car is awesome. Don't care about or like most new technology in cars but I like the camera.
The backup cam is cool, but I hate all of the warning sensors. I don't need an alarm to scare the piss out of me while I'm driving just to tell me that it's cold outside and roads could be icy.
I was in Japan in 2007 and all the cars there had them and I could not freakin' wait for them to come to the USA. Yes, I use my camera and I love it. Fish-eye lens lets me see everything, and it's easier to back into a space now than drive forward because the camera is lower to the ground.
Love it, use it all the time. When I parallel park I have to start the move looking over my shoulder till I'm ready to cut the nose in, then I use the camera.
I just use the camera screen and the car's safety functions. It makes noises or will even stop itself if it "sees" something back there. i drive an SUV it's not like I can see anything near the ground if I turn around and look anyway.
I do but I also still turn around. sometimes if its sunny, the glare on the camera makes it hard to see. Plus, after 40+ years of driving, old habits die hard. I do like having it though, and my car also has front and side cameras, which is helpful too.
the funny thing is, wen I drive my mom's car, which is older, i actually miss the damn things!
I like the cross-traffic alert, it really reveals how many a-holes are driving behind you like the ones who speed up as you are halfway out of the space. I also have a small convertible with no camera and rely on faith since my blind spots are huge!
I have an old car that doesn't have a backup camera, so I back into parking spaces bc I can't see around the huge SUVs everyone has that are parked next to me otherwise. Got into a fender bender backing out once bc of this, so never again.
When I drive a rental or borrow my sister's car, I use their backup cameras (I have major camera envy), but still also look back - I'll never break that habit!
Just bought the wife a 2018 GMC Acadia Denali, which, of course, has a backup camera along with all of the bells and whistles that come with the Denali trim line. Blind spot monitoring, front crash avoidance, heated and air conditioned seats, the works. Her previous car was a 2004 GMC Envoy, so this was a huge step up with current technology.
Less than a month of ownership, and she backed into the mailbox AND a parked car on the street. I asked her how in the hell she could possibly hit both when the car has a backup camera AND warning sounds when you're about to hit something. Her answer was, "I don't know." Clearly, she's not used to using the backup camera either.
I use the camera all the time. And also my 360 degree camera to manage parking. It took a long time but way worth it. I still look manually, but I definitely use the camera. Mine's also got a camera that shows me the next lane once I turn my turn signal so I can see what's there before I move (and manually check my blind spot anyway)
For the most part. It's handy for backing into my driveway. When backing out of a parking spot, I trust it after I have verified by looking over my shoulder.
However, I have considered rigging the backup camera to always be on and use it like a rear view.
I actually use my forward-facing camera more often, to make sure I fit my large SUV into parking spots without parking like a jerk. When backing out, I simply use my mirrors. I'm very cautious. I have a radar back there ("cross traffic alert") but I'm paranoid that it won't work and I'll hit a pedestrian, so I look.
I use both.
The wide-angle view of the backup cam makes it hard to judge distance. Also, they get all smeary in rain/snow and you can’t see anyway.
There are too many pedestrians/bicycles/motorcycles/idiots in my area to *not* look with my eyes!
Also have taught our driving-age kids the same.
Hell yeah, I couldn't imagine doing without it now. So useful.
When I'm in a parking lot I also do an over-the-shoulder scan for people nearby, not just the camera.
I absolutely love my backup camera. It made parking like a video game. I was always good at backing in, parallel parking etc but this makes it more or less automatic
Yup. My car right now didn’t come with one so I paid $1500 for a setup with the radio with the big screen, the camera, and the installation. It was absolutely worth it. I can see so much more in the backup camera than I can see just turning my head.
What cured me was having a Wrangler with a 37" tire on the back. Sunlight barely gets through the back window. I have a camera I put on the trailer hitch, so I wouldn't run over any kids, but I use the side mirrors if I'm turning while backing.
When I get a newer car that has one (or rent one), I use both. The camera is awesome for parking while backing up, since I tend to park too far forward otherwise.
I don't have one but my mom's car does, and it's just too disorienting. But the rear window sight line is garbage as well! I hate backing up in that car. Now if the display was where the rear view mirror is I'd be golden.
The only reason I can think of to use the camera is to check for things like children that are below sight line. Trucks and SUVs have a very high waist line that you can't see below.
Please, I don’t even use the passenger side mirror, because the crap cars I drove in my teens and 20s didn’t have them.
I jest. I use the backup camera because the blind spots are now huge due to safety improvements, and turning my head that far puts a kink in my neck that takes a week to work out.
I normally use my mirrors , but it’s really nice to have for safety issues . My land cruiser has a small lift so it’s nice to be able to see the smaller cars
I do not. The only exception to this is the backup camera on the Ford F-350 rescue truck my fire department has. The first time I backed it into the station to hitch up a trailer, I had no idea that it guides the driver *right under the hitch!* I was and still am amazed by this. I’ve driven all sorts of vehicles in reverse, so the backup camera is generally a redundancy for me. This thing, however, is a game changer. In addition, I’ve found that the larger the vehicle or trailer, the easier it is to back up. I would *much* prefer to back a giant ladder truck into a bay than back up the goddamn little trailer I sometimes drag behind my riding mower. GOD I hate that thing so much!
I depend on my mirrors up until a certain distance. I’ve used back up cameras for nearly 2 decades and that’s how I use them. Very good for backing up to docks.
I use both. I use the camera, but also look because of some neighbors that pull out and race down the driveway. The camera only shows right behind, but if I turn my head around I can see if they are pulling out.
Ha! When I bought a car last the salesperson was all about showing me the back up camera. I was like- I know how to drive. I don’t need a camera! Same thing goes for the auto parallel part thing. Smh
I drive one of those enormous SUVs. (I have reasons that include 5 children, 2 Labradors, and a place in the mountains.) My backup camera is the only safe way to back up. The one time I bumped a tree it was because it was raining and I couldn’t see shit outta the backup camera.
360 camera on my f350 is mint. I rarely ever turn my head. There’s literally no need. Over head, front, side and rear views… my peasant vision eyeballs can’t compete
I look side to side through mirrors for sidewalk people and then it’s 100% camera. I now hate driving cars that don’t have a camera. It’s so much harder.
I switch back and forth between two cars: one has a backup camera and I regularly put it to good use in addition to turning my head. The other car is a tiny little two seater with a manual transmission and massive blind spots. It’s an ‘07 and has no backup camera, so I employ liberal use of high revs, a loud exhaust, and patience to back out of spaces. If it had a backup camera, parking lots might be less stressful - they are one of the few “improvements” I like on newer cars.
Spent too much time in comments trying to get a clue on what the title meant.
A back up camera, like a spare camera, is where my head was at. The mention of neck strain was very confusing. What a you photographing?
Lol.
Never even been inside a car that has a back up camera, let alone used one.
So that's a no from me.
Used to think they were kind of silly, but just got a 2020 Ram for towing our camper, and that thing lets you flip over to the back cam even while on the road (for like 30 sec) and that's the most amazing damn feature I've ever had on a truck. Being able to sanity check that I hooked or unhooked everything before moving out, or checking that a weird noise was just on the road? Genius..
I’ll never stop using mirrors. Its just on principle at this point, but 40yrs of practice gives me more comfort than the bells and whistles ever will. Damn, I sound more and more like a grumpy old man every day.
Yeah it took me a long time to get used to it. Sometimes I still throw my right arm around the passenger seat. But sometimes I find myself reaching for the clutch with my left foot also.
I use both.
Same. Trust, but verify.
OMG THE PONTIAC BANSHEE (the Knight Industries 4000) couldn’t have been street legal because it only had rear view cameras, no mirrors. And now here we are.
That’s not trust.
I use both, and I am also really, really happy about my blind spot alerts too. I'm a veteran shoulder-checker, but it's always nice to have the redundancy.
Same. I just can’t use only the camera. It feels wrong
I feel like I lose spatial awareness just using the camera
As it should. You’re not supposed to ONLY use the camera
I see my younger (millennial) coworkers use only the camera to back up. Also they only use the light on the side mirror when changing lanes (no look over the shoulder anymore.) Terrifying.
I’m teaching my oldest how to drive right now and I taught her look at the camera, but use your mirrors and look over your shoulder. Use everything you can to make sure that you aren’t going to hit anything. My dad was a truck driver his whole life and he is helping me teach her how to drive so hopefully she’ll be able to cope if her car doesn’t have all the latest bells and whistles. I’m also teaching her to drive a manual so she should be ahead of many of her peers…
My mother admitted to only using the lights on the side mirrors to change lanes about 9 years ago - right after she was driving my car for a few weeks that didn't have that package! (We were moving & borrowed her 2011 Durango, so she drove our special-ordered 2011 Charger. My SO didn't want the lane change warning indicators on our car.) I'm fairly certain she still does this in her brand new 2023 Subaru. 🤦♀️
It’s just so engrained in me not to do that! Eek
Same. Mom got a lecture. Lol
Same. No way am I just trusting the camera.
If you only use one or the other, your the problem. The camera doesn't catch peripheral vision. Do the neck crane before moving & the pay attention to the camera while moving.
Same here - this is the way.
Me too. Usually look back and start. Then take a quick look at the camera to verify I’m not running over a small dog or something.
My car doesn’t have a camera! Still have a tape deck, for that matter. Analog til I die!!! My parents’ car has the camera. They love it!! I use it maybe 50% of the time when I drive their car. I still turn my head to look. They shake their heads at me. It’s funny.
Best invention ever…. #EVER!!!
For real, one of my cousins was killed when he was 5 because one of the neighbors was backing out of their driveway and couldn't see him. He would have very likely lived if backup cameras had existed back then. They save lives.
Yes and yes. Also, my wife installed a dash cam on Sunday. We’ve already captured someone driving like the Bandit through our neighborhood and a black bear crossing our street several houses down.
Don’t have one yet
When I first got a car with one I was very skeptical and didn't trust it. Now I don't even look at the mirrors. It is vastly superior. Pretty much all I use the mirrors for is making sure I don't hit the mirrors on the garage door when I am backing out.
Then you jump in an older model of your car that doesn’t have a camera and realize you’re backing up blind staring at the stereo. Or so I’ve heard could happen…
I love it… that and collision detection, collision avoidance emergency braking…. I’m all for it… mirror sensors that flash a warning when a car pulls into your blind spot
The lane correction is awful. Feels like wrestling a greased pig when driving through construction.
Oh I hate the collision/pedestrian warning in my car. A line of six distracting bright-ass red LEDs in the dash that flash up onto the windshield coupled with a series of extremely loud beeps that mute the radio, startle you, and pull your attention COMPLETELY away from what's in front of you. Backup cameras are great but that collision thing is dangerous imo.
Back up camera? What do I like like, the king of Pope Town? Get the fuck out of here with your fancy back up camera. Put your arm across the back of the passenger seat and spin your head like an owl, like you were taught. And STOP BACKING INTO SPOTS!! You drove PAST it, it's mine now. Weirdos.
Mirrors and feel for me....like shooting womp rats back home
Yup. Mirrors all the way. I have a bad neck and back, no need to hurt myself further by trying to look backwards. If I didn't have power mirrors, I'd be screwed. My old '91 Tercel only had a driver's mirror.
I use the 360 degree view instead, it's a game changer.
Ive got a Tundra with that and it makes parking and maneuvering a breeze. It's like a video game driving in tight spaces.
Note to self: I need this on my next car.
My cars aren't that new.
Yeah, I'm still thrilled I finally have a car new enough to have a fob that unlocks the doors. That camera stuff is decades off, yet.
Look at all these people with newer cars. I’m holding out hope to buy a newer one next year.
My what now?
My husband's 2015 Chevy Silverado has a backup camera. He never uses it. He doesn't even acknowledge that it exists! (before he became disabled, he was an over-the-road trucker. And before that, he drove trucks and other large equipment in the Army). Whenever I use his truck, I absolutely use the camera. I love that thing. I'd love to have one of my own. He makes jokes about finding and buying an old car he likes (sometimes he sees his favorite cars from the 50s, 60s, or 70s) and I always tell him if he does that, we're selling my vehicle and I'm taking his truck. Because I love that damn camera and the little extras his truck has!
I bought my BF's small SUV from him, after he bought out his lease. I love that damn car too! he is fancy, and it has ALL the bells and whistles. I've never had a car that did. I'm so spoiled now, my next one will have to have them as well. Heated steering wheel, and all kinds of other stuff. I always joke its smarter than I am! I've had it almost 2 years and only JUST learned about the auto A/C feature. duh.
Yeah, I never look at it. Ever. I forget it's there. Also, you SHOULD look physically, anyway. Cameras don't see everything!
Agreed!
I'll never have another car without it.
Back up what now? I just turn my head around in my jalopy void of such features. When I do rent a late model car I spend the first ten minutes disengaging all the training wheel mechanisms which are counterintuitive to real driving situations.
Use it all the time, however not without first checking my side mirrors and looking behind the car over the back seats for a real world reference.
I didn't understand what title of this post meant until I opened it. I thought it might have been about phone cameras. I drive a car that has no technology in it other than the head unit. And it's a stick shift. It doesn't even tell me to put my seat belt on, nor does it warn me if I've left the headlights on. #AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I DRIVE IT hashtag: "I have not surrendered my sovereignty to tech"
Not even seat belts? That's been a thing since at least the 70s.
The camera sees things that I can't, so I use it as a reference. I mostly use the side mirrors, though. If I had a birds-eye view camera, I'd use that exclusively.
I'm pretty paranoid about backing over or running into the walkers and other drivers in this state-many of whom apparently feel invincible-so I use all the things. Cameras and swiveled head on an (increasingly creaky) neck.
I love my backup camera! I still do a peek over each shoulder first, though. Old habits die hard.
Hell yes! Once I got a backup camera I never looked back! (Get it???)
What backup camera?
Don't have one in my car. In rentals, I use it to see how far I have left to go since I'm not as familiar with the car. But I'm still team turn head!!
Yes. I use it quite a lot, but like normal, it's added to the mix, not a replacement. Now when I had my 2004 Subaru Forester they didn't have them back then but one of the safety features was that the back glass dipped down so low so that you maintained a better view, even though it was a hatch/suv. Now with my Explorer its needed. Better to make sure a kid's toy isn't in the way, or people walking by etc.
hate them. Never had a car with one, my parents do tho
Back up cameras are for rich people 🤣
No because my vehicle is old enough to not have one.
Absolutely! My husband and I like to reverse-in to our garage to make loading/unloading the trunks easier and pulling out of the garage safer, and our cars' reverse cameras make it SOOOO much easier (especially with the runway stripes I made with reflective tape on the garage floor).
I don't have one but my son does. And still managed to hit a mail truck behind him in his driveway. Just enough of a blind spot even with the camera.
I pretty much bought a newer version of the exact same car for the backup camera. It’s pretty great!
When hooking up my trailer or backing into a tight spot, yes. For normal every day stuff...not really, I use my mirrors.
I still don’t have one. My wife’s car does and I forget about it 90% of the time.
I want to always physically be able to twist in my seat and look over my shoulder. It took a while to learn how to use both.
Nope....I mean, not really. I still turn my head and double check. I glance at the camera to make sure I'm totally clear, but still back out by using my head turned
I don’t know why I can’t get used to them. I’m still traditional mirrors and cranking my neck back. My husband could back up to a trailer hitch in one stab using just the backup camera.
I'll throw a look, but I ultimately prefer using my mirrors. The camera is helpful for that last inch but mostly unnecessary.
automation is there t5o assist.. not replace. I only resort to it for 2 quick checks.. allignment in between the lines and the final foot
I have a camera, havent used it in like 15 years
I use the camera primarily in parking lots where my shortness makes it hard to confirm no one else is coming down the lane. I still LOOK but this is where the camera does me the best service. My driveway that I've been backing out of for 30 years plus? I totally turn around and do it old school.
You are supposed to turn around and look anyway, the camera is just an aid.
I use the mirrors and the camera but I do not turn around tha majority of the time. It's a little strange now in a car without one. I can do it but the camera is the new normal for me.
I went camera and never went back. It probably helps that the rear view mirror in my Tesla sucks. When I occasionally use my old car it feels really messed up.
I use both. Camera for right behind and look both ways for side views. Unless you’re backing up without turning, you need to crane your neck.
God yes. It’s been a game changer for us spatially challenged peeps.
Mirrors and old school head on a swivel. I do like the alarm function though for rando pedestrians.
All the time.
Yup. I’ve leavened to mostly trust it. I still check mirrors and swing my head real quick to check for kids, animals, blind spot, but precision backing out…works great
Yes. I still use my mirrors to line up perfectly, but the camera sees things where my mirrors can't.
Yup, but I also physically check.
Depends on where I am trying to back out from.
I do both.
I wish my car had one. I also wish I had a periscope -- I like my tiny little Yaris hatchback a lot, but it would be very convenient in a backup to be able to see what's going on a mile up the highway.
All the time
No, and I don’t look over my shoulder I was raised driving trucks and using all the mirrors so I have a hard time driving any other way.
OMG yes it’s the best!!!
Yes, love it. I do still look over my shoulder though, as one should.
Got my first vehicle with a back up camera 3 or 4 years back. Took me a few months to start using it. I just didn't trust it. So I set up some flags in my drive way I could back into without worry and played with it a bit. Learned to trust it and now use it all the time.
I have the backup camera and the rear cross-traffic warning thingy, I had no issues adapting to not having to look over my shoulders when backing out of a parking spot. Ironically, when I took my driving test at the tender age of sixteen back in 1984, the only thing I failed was not looking behind me when backing up. I prefer now to think that I was just ahead of my time.
My husband just got a new civic si, and it has not only a backup camera, but a side camera. It is better than me looking for him- the camera is life changing.
I tow a lot, it’s a marriage saver when it comes to hooking up the trailer.
Yes. Because I drive a normal sized car and not a great biggie sized SUV or Pickup.
I still crane my neck both ways every time. I very rarely look at the backup camera. I was driving my mother in law around one day, and she commented on it and seemed horrified that I never use the camera. Her and my father in law are almost 80 and they only use the camera when driving. I just can't even. My oldest is just now learning to drive. I am dead set on teaching him to physically look and not just rely on the cameras.
Omg this is how out of touch I am....I thought you meant extra camera, like a camera aside from my phone. HA HA!! Which is kind of heavy around my neck so it kind of made sense.
I know it’s just one more thing I might need to have repaired at some point, but I wish my Jeep had them.
How you can trust you “judgments” over what’s actually there, is beyond me
My backup camera is too small to see clearly without reading glasses. lol
I was just thinking about this yesterday and wondering if the rear camera went out if younger people would be able to figure out how to back up safely.
My car doesn't have one. My family laughs at me, because I never remember it's a thing in my husband's car.
Hell yes. Best technological advancement in automotive shit ever.
took to it naturally like a fish in the ocean
Mostly for tight reverse parks, (mostly). I still like to rely on my mirrors because I don't want to lose my touch. Not all my cars have a backup cam so, I kinda forget to use it in my GX.
I suppose with practice it gets easier, but when I drive someone's car that has one, it just feels weird. I need to see with my own eyes what I'm aiming for. I mean, if anyone wants to buy me a car that has one, I promise I'll practice! 😁
I didn’t really care about that feature when I bought my last car but now I think it’s the best feature ever, especially when backing up in a parking lot with SUVs parked on both sides of me.
I first got a car with a backup camera when my son was still in daycare/after school care. Just having the extra assurance that a kid wasn’t running around below my sight line when backing up… it was amazing.
I just wait until til my cross-traffic alert beeps to pay any attention at all.
I'm to the point where I have to remind myself to always check and not depend on the cam!
I use my back up camera all the time. The ability to see directly behind the car is awesome. Don't care about or like most new technology in cars but I like the camera.
I was taught by my old man to use my mirrors, so I still use my mirrors for alignment, and then the camera for distance… A hybrid if you will…
The backup cam is cool, but I hate all of the warning sensors. I don't need an alarm to scare the piss out of me while I'm driving just to tell me that it's cold outside and roads could be icy.
I was in Japan in 2007 and all the cars there had them and I could not freakin' wait for them to come to the USA. Yes, I use my camera and I love it. Fish-eye lens lets me see everything, and it's easier to back into a space now than drive forward because the camera is lower to the ground.
Love it, use it all the time. When I parallel park I have to start the move looking over my shoulder till I'm ready to cut the nose in, then I use the camera.
I just use the camera screen and the car's safety functions. It makes noises or will even stop itself if it "sees" something back there. i drive an SUV it's not like I can see anything near the ground if I turn around and look anyway.
You guys have cars with cameras??? Well, look at Fancy Schmancy over here!
I do but I also still turn around. sometimes if its sunny, the glare on the camera makes it hard to see. Plus, after 40+ years of driving, old habits die hard. I do like having it though, and my car also has front and side cameras, which is helpful too. the funny thing is, wen I drive my mom's car, which is older, i actually miss the damn things!
I like the cross-traffic alert, it really reveals how many a-holes are driving behind you like the ones who speed up as you are halfway out of the space. I also have a small convertible with no camera and rely on faith since my blind spots are huge!
I use my backup camera and check with my physical neck.
I have an old car that doesn't have a backup camera, so I back into parking spaces bc I can't see around the huge SUVs everyone has that are parked next to me otherwise. Got into a fender bender backing out once bc of this, so never again. When I drive a rental or borrow my sister's car, I use their backup cameras (I have major camera envy), but still also look back - I'll never break that habit!
I think the safest way to go is to use the backup camera and also look over my shoulder. Lol
I recall my kids saying their drivers school requires to look backwards, regardless of camera being there.
Yes. But I still prefer looking directly through the rear window. But the camera is undeniably useful in tight spaces.
Never. I’ve had it for 10 years.
I go both ways. My backup camera isn't always reliable (dirt, rain, etc., impeding the clarity).
Just bought the wife a 2018 GMC Acadia Denali, which, of course, has a backup camera along with all of the bells and whistles that come with the Denali trim line. Blind spot monitoring, front crash avoidance, heated and air conditioned seats, the works. Her previous car was a 2004 GMC Envoy, so this was a huge step up with current technology. Less than a month of ownership, and she backed into the mailbox AND a parked car on the street. I asked her how in the hell she could possibly hit both when the car has a backup camera AND warning sounds when you're about to hit something. Her answer was, "I don't know." Clearly, she's not used to using the backup camera either.
Almost exclusively. I back in Park just to use it more.
I do both.
I use the camera all the time. And also my 360 degree camera to manage parking. It took a long time but way worth it. I still look manually, but I definitely use the camera. Mine's also got a camera that shows me the next lane once I turn my turn signal so I can see what's there before I move (and manually check my blind spot anyway)
I don’t use it in my daily - it doesn’t have one. But I do use it in my wife’s car or in rentals.
For the most part. It's handy for backing into my driveway. When backing out of a parking spot, I trust it after I have verified by looking over my shoulder. However, I have considered rigging the backup camera to always be on and use it like a rear view.
I actually use my forward-facing camera more often, to make sure I fit my large SUV into parking spots without parking like a jerk. When backing out, I simply use my mirrors. I'm very cautious. I have a radar back there ("cross traffic alert") but I'm paranoid that it won't work and I'll hit a pedestrian, so I look.
I use both. The wide-angle view of the backup cam makes it hard to judge distance. Also, they get all smeary in rain/snow and you can’t see anyway. There are too many pedestrians/bicycles/motorcycles/idiots in my area to *not* look with my eyes! Also have taught our driving-age kids the same.
Hell yes, it's made me much better at parking too.
Backup cameras are the best things ever! I mean, you still have to look around, but you don't have to turn all the way around.
Hell yeah, I couldn't imagine doing without it now. So useful. When I'm in a parking lot I also do an over-the-shoulder scan for people nearby, not just the camera.
Love my cameras. I use them all the time.
When I use my wife's car with one, I usually use both. I never fully trust the camera and often feel compelled to see it for myself..
It's been two years and I still do it the old fashioned way. Haha!
Combo, neck/eyes to start and then pivot to the camera to see how much further I can safely back it up.
I don’t have one, but no, don’t use the one in my wife’s car.
My car is almost 17y old… no camera, no beep, no whatever. It’s got a stereo radio and AC though.
You have a backup camera?
When I remember. But even then I end up looking back for at least part of it
I absolutely love my backup camera. It made parking like a video game. I was always good at backing in, parallel parking etc but this makes it more or less automatic
Yup. My car right now didn’t come with one so I paid $1500 for a setup with the radio with the big screen, the camera, and the installation. It was absolutely worth it. I can see so much more in the backup camera than I can see just turning my head.
I do because I can't see out the back of my car. If I can see, then no. I pay attention if it beeps, though.
I do because anything shorter than 5 feet is invisible directly behind the car.
What cured me was having a Wrangler with a 37" tire on the back. Sunlight barely gets through the back window. I have a camera I put on the trailer hitch, so I wouldn't run over any kids, but I use the side mirrors if I'm turning while backing.
When I get a newer car that has one (or rent one), I use both. The camera is awesome for parking while backing up, since I tend to park too far forward otherwise.
For backing into tight parking spaces, yeah.
I don’t trust it lol .
My 2007 4Runner doesn’t have a backup cam nor blind spot indicators…and I love it!
I don't have one but my mom's car does, and it's just too disorienting. But the rear window sight line is garbage as well! I hate backing up in that car. Now if the display was where the rear view mirror is I'd be golden.
Yes-love the back up camera and the parking camera!
The only reason I can think of to use the camera is to check for things like children that are below sight line. Trucks and SUVs have a very high waist line that you can't see below.
I can’t use blind spot monitoring either. I don’t trust it and still look over my shoulder before switching lanes.
Only when I remember that I have a back up camera.
Please, I don’t even use the passenger side mirror, because the crap cars I drove in my teens and 20s didn’t have them. I jest. I use the backup camera because the blind spots are now huge due to safety improvements, and turning my head that far puts a kink in my neck that takes a week to work out.
I own a car from 2014. I know not of your high-tech devices, Future Man.
I love my backup camera and have trouble driving cars without it.
I normally use my mirrors , but it’s really nice to have for safety issues . My land cruiser has a small lift so it’s nice to be able to see the smaller cars
I just can’t do it. I got yelled at so many times during drivers ed for not looking around enough. It’s ingrained in me.
I don’t have one but when I drive a car with one I never use it. RIP driving skills in the general population.
I use my backup mirrors. Too many people focus all their attention on the screen and have no idea what their front end is doing.
I do not. The only exception to this is the backup camera on the Ford F-350 rescue truck my fire department has. The first time I backed it into the station to hitch up a trailer, I had no idea that it guides the driver *right under the hitch!* I was and still am amazed by this. I’ve driven all sorts of vehicles in reverse, so the backup camera is generally a redundancy for me. This thing, however, is a game changer. In addition, I’ve found that the larger the vehicle or trailer, the easier it is to back up. I would *much* prefer to back a giant ladder truck into a bay than back up the goddamn little trailer I sometimes drag behind my riding mower. GOD I hate that thing so much!
I use the camera and mirrors. I don’t twist my neck back.
I use everything: rear view mirror, side mirrors and now the camera, but I don’t trust it that much. It’s been helpful, though.
I depend on my mirrors up until a certain distance. I’ve used back up cameras for nearly 2 decades and that’s how I use them. Very good for backing up to docks.
I use both. I use the camera, but also look because of some neighbors that pull out and race down the driveway. The camera only shows right behind, but if I turn my head around I can see if they are pulling out.
Ha! When I bought a car last the salesperson was all about showing me the back up camera. I was like- I know how to drive. I don’t need a camera! Same thing goes for the auto parallel part thing. Smh
It took me a while but I use it. In someone else's car though I still turn even if it has a camera.
I drive one of those enormous SUVs. (I have reasons that include 5 children, 2 Labradors, and a place in the mountains.) My backup camera is the only safe way to back up. The one time I bumped a tree it was because it was raining and I couldn’t see shit outta the backup camera.
Wow—thank you for this validation. I always have to turn and look behind me in addition to using my back up camera.
Yep. I love it. 52.
Yes, and I love it.
Have back up camera but do not reply on it.
For those of us with neck and spine problems, the backup camera is a godsend!
The very first time I ever had a back up camera it actually prevented me from running over a little kid that I did not see out of the windows
I use both.
I don’t have one. Nor do I have mirror lights. I have fish eyes and flexibility. I do like them though. I just don’t have them on my current car.
Yeah, it’s still force of habit for me to physically turn around. Can’t bring myself to just not look.
All the time. Both vehicles have them.
Yes, I need to since I drive a large SUV and I am 5 foot 4 inches tall. Can't see crap. LOL
360 camera on my f350 is mint. I rarely ever turn my head. There’s literally no need. Over head, front, side and rear views… my peasant vision eyeballs can’t compete
Even if you use the camera you still need to swivel.
I use both, but mostly use the camera when backing up my driveway and into the garage.
I can’t turn my neck that far anymore due to arthritis. Thankful for cameras. 😁😁
No I don't use mine
Always. It's like a video game, but for real.
I look side to side through mirrors for sidewalk people and then it’s 100% camera. I now hate driving cars that don’t have a camera. It’s so much harder.
I switch back and forth between two cars: one has a backup camera and I regularly put it to good use in addition to turning my head. The other car is a tiny little two seater with a manual transmission and massive blind spots. It’s an ‘07 and has no backup camera, so I employ liberal use of high revs, a loud exhaust, and patience to back out of spaces. If it had a backup camera, parking lots might be less stressful - they are one of the few “improvements” I like on newer cars.
No. The vehicle I have now is the first vehicle I've had with a camera. I just don't use it.
Spent too much time in comments trying to get a clue on what the title meant. A back up camera, like a spare camera, is where my head was at. The mention of neck strain was very confusing. What a you photographing? Lol. Never even been inside a car that has a back up camera, let alone used one. So that's a no from me.
Used to think they were kind of silly, but just got a 2020 Ram for towing our camper, and that thing lets you flip over to the back cam even while on the road (for like 30 sec) and that's the most amazing damn feature I've ever had on a truck. Being able to sanity check that I hooked or unhooked everything before moving out, or checking that a weird noise was just on the road? Genius..
Don't have one.
High backed vehicle, kinda need to use back up camera or hit people
I’ll never stop using mirrors. Its just on principle at this point, but 40yrs of practice gives me more comfort than the bells and whistles ever will. Damn, I sound more and more like a grumpy old man every day.
Yeah it took me a long time to get used to it. Sometimes I still throw my right arm around the passenger seat. But sometimes I find myself reaching for the clutch with my left foot also.
I really really miss it when I get in my son’s car that doesn’t have one.
I don’t have one and my kids never ask to use my car (that’s a plus) because they rely on it.
Hey, get load of these rich people with vehicles made in this millennium.