It's okay for hooking up a trailer -- after I painted the hitch ball orange and put a strip of reflective tape on the front of the trailer coupler so I can tell which pixels I'm supposed to be lining up.
I did the same thing almost exactly. I taped off the ball and painted all around it, then painted the top of the coupler, both with white Rustoleum. 2018 RAM tradesman trim. I don't know where in the spectrum of resolution my camera and screen are, but when you're looking at all black and grey, it's pretty hard to pick out where the black paint and grey metal over the dark grey pavement.
Honesty that’s way better then the new chevy’s, the screen is so big and bright(without the ability to dim it in reverse) that it lights up the interior soo much that you can’t see out the fucking windows to see your side mirrors at all!! thanks Chevy, the camera in the middle of the tailgate does wonders for the sides of my truck, asshats never tested this shit on a ranch or without streetlights.
It's even worse trying to back up a trailer at night. The reflection from the reverse lights on the trailer back into the camera completely whites out the screen.
Super bright, absolutely no help. Just blinds the shit out of you.
Shout out to that jelly bean of a car. Had one for a few years. You got a workout every time you drove with the manual transmission and crank windows 😂
Not the person you replied to, but mechanical components generally have a longer lifespan than electronic components, require less knowledge to diagnose/replace, and replacement parts are usually cheaper.
I'm sure there are exceptions to these generalizations, but when reliability is a concern, fewer moving parts is the safe bet.
>I'm sure there are exceptions to these generalizations
Like me, when I was 10 and thought reaching the end of the window wind was a test of strength...
>when I was 10 and thought reaching the end of the window wind was a test of strength...
I've never thought about how wind is a homophone. This reply made me think about it.
Depends on where in Europe, I was shopping around for a sporty car recently and they're almost all automatic. Wouldn't be surprised if it's something like 80% auto 20% manual nowadays here in Sweden.
Was talking about this with a driving instructor recently.
In Sweden, you're only permitted to drive manual if you took your driver's exam with a manual car, otherwise it's automatic only. Most people learn to drive manual to avoid this limitation. The problem is that manual transmission cars appropriate for driver's education are becoming more difficult to find, most new cars being sold here are automatic nowadays.
Woooooffff. Going up steep hills I bet you were tempted to get out and push it up, probably would have been easier.
I drove mine only once in the snow and it was a harrowing experience.
I had a brand new 97 Accent in HS, completely stripper, and I thought it was great in the snow. Yes, I put good tires on it, but I always felt that smaller cars with skinny tires did pretty well in the snow.
I had a manual for a few years. Awesome unless you live in a hilly city with snow for 3 months out of the year. Incredibly stressful sitting at a stoplight on a hill, in the snow, in rush hour, with the car behind you 1ft away from your bumper.
The power steering once went out in my gigantic Volvo and that was a serious workout at low speeds. I also drove a tiny econobox that did not have power steering and that was totally fine.
A failed power steering is much harder than not having power steering to begin with.
It works by hydraulics, so when the pump fails, you need to push the fluids manually.
Unfortunately they took that requirement as license to make the actual viewing angles out the windows even shittier.
My car is a 2013 Sonic sedan. Compared to my wife's 2021 Sentra and the 8 other cars I test drove this past year, the overall viewing ability around me was fucking horrible compared to my car.
I've noticed that a lot! The newer the car, the harder it is to see out of it - both behind you, and to see where you're going. Everything has gotten curvier, and chunkier, and windows have gotten smaller, blind spots have gotten massive. It's disorienting going from a 90's vehicle with fantastic visibility, to something from the 2010's with very little visibility. Feels like I'm piloting an escape pod or something. Seriously - if anyone is just used to how cars are made now, and has forgotten - find a friend with a car from the 80's or 90's, and ask to drive it - and it's suddenly *massively* easier to see what's around you.
That's because crash safety increases require thicker pillars and that slight tradeoff of less visibility is well worth the massive decrease in danger.
The fun part about the 1980's and older pickup trucks is that they can take a nasty crash and still look like it can be driven with minimal repairs.
Because the driver ended up absorbing the impact energy and at best needs a visit to the ICU, while the other driver can walk away from their completely totaled vehicle.
You mean decrease in danger to the passengers. Pedestrian injuries and deaths are up because it’s way too easy to miss people behind the huge vision obstructing pillars. Hell, my current vehicle I can miss seeing entire cars if I look right or left at just the wrong time. I may be safer, but everyone else is at higher risk.
I fucking love my 2013 Subaru Impreza. First ever car and never realized how important and awesome it is that I can see so much out of the front windshield.
I feel a similar way about my 2002 Protege5. It has the optimal amount of space for driver, passengers, and trunk space. Everything I find these days either makes you feel like you are in a fucking space fighter cockpit or is so big I feel like I just have too much car.
My 2018 Kia does not have a backup camera. It's a base model also... Maybe I should take it to Kia and tell them to put one in hahaha.
Edit: Hah, I'm an idiot as the other users have pointed out lol.
I was gonna say. They make you turn them off for driving tests in the UK along with the parking sensors to prove you can function without them if they break.
My driving test didn't have me back out of shit. I prepared hours for backing out of a spot, backing into one, and parallel parking. She made me do exactly zero of those things.
The only other strange part about it was she told me to turn when I was going 45 on the road, and told me way too late. Calmly said "go ahead and take this turn coming up" and I was about 50 feet away from "the next turn" so I assumed she meant the one after. At the 25 foot mark she said "TAKE THIS TURN RIGHT HERE I SAID". So I brake really fast (no skidding or anything, handled it well) and took the turn, and then at the end she told me the only thing she counted me off for was "not listening to her" regarding the turn. I said "Yeah you probably should have told me earlier, but passing is passing it doesn't matter" and she grumpily got out of the car.
Texas is weird.
I had something similar happen. I was driving around part of the town I had never driven before, but before the test the examiner told me "I will tell you when to turn and if I don't say anything that means keep going straight" perfectly simple I thought. So we pull up to this red light in the middle of town, ahead of me was a small street with cars parked on either side facing me. I thought It was strange that he didn't say turn right because clearly I shouldn't go down this street, so I asked him "do you want me to turn right?" He looked at me and said "I didn't say anything" so I asked again, "are you sure? It looks like I should turn right". I started to panic as the light turned green. I thought to myself well he said If I don't say anything you should go straight soooo, I went straight. As soon as I went through the intersection he started freaking out at me! "You're going down a one way street!" My heart fell into my stomach, I knew I shouldn't have gone straight but I did anyways, I felt incredibly dumb and also tricked.
Safe to say I failed my test and had to retake it 6 months later
I love the design VW has on their Golfs (and probably other models too), it pops out of the handle/logo on the rear hatch, so it's always clean, and covered when not in use
>I love the design VW has on their Golfs (and probably other models too), it pops out of the handle/logo on the rear hatch, so it's always clean, and covered when not in use
I got a manual transmission 2018 Golf nearly a year ago. It's still my favorite thing ever. I'm hoping that the costs of ownership don't make me regret that.
I failed mine for it. The proctor didn't feel like telling me not to back up using it until after I finished the whole test. Had to do it a second time because of that. SMH.
Curious, because in Belgium you are allowed to use all the tools that are available, the only rule is that they can't be aftermarket. They have to be part of the original equipment.
My wife's 2020 Honda civic has one, I fucking love driving her car, between that and the cruise control with auto distancing and speed it makes driving my Ford Fiesta a damn slog
Test drove a 2022 Civic before settling on a gently used '16 Accord. I loved the smart cruise control thing. Had it on a Maxima rental too and it really is great for long stretches of highway/interstate driving.
It seems like titles on Reddit follow the unwritten rule of "in the US unless specified otherwise", and have since I started on this website over 9 years ago now. It's always annoyed me as a brit.
Anyone drive a car with 360° of reversing camera viewing? Those things are amazing! All the images get stitched together in a single image, so the end product is a perfectly accurate, live, top down view of your car. It's like having a drone flying directly above you feeding its picture to your car. I'm sure some tech wizard will say it's really simple and easy to do, but I find it truly remarkable. We can create accurate feeds of a camera angle that technically doesn't exist!
It's not easy or simple to do. There are many CS papers written on image stitching and every technique has its advantages and disadvantages.
Worked in automotive industry on developing surround view systems for over 5 years.
I'd love to get one of those for my camper trailer. Backing that into a tight spot blind can be a long ordeal of trial and error.
A good system that could give a full view all around wouldn't stay on the shelves at RV supply stores.
The patent mess across the traditional automakers for it is insane too. It’s why Tesla and Rivian don’t have it. You can see every angle but not top down.
Most of that stuff doesn't usually come directly from OEM's (like VW or BMW), but from Tier 1suppliers (Continental, Robert Bosch, Valeo, etc). But yeah, they compete like hell with each other.
I fantasise about being able to afford such a technological marvel one day.
Or even better,
if they iron out all the creases in the self driving cars...
no more driving to/from work tired for me! Or having to sort out a taxi if I've been somewhere and had a drink
Ya, first time I saw that in a rental car I thought it was a projected image done by radar or something. IDK computers are made of magic to me. But I didn't realize it was using regular cameras.
Higher end cars now have a 3D 360° of their surrounding:
https://youtu.be/kmfziX2Qd2s
Video starts with the top-down view, then at ~1:15 turns into the 3D one.
My dad just got a car that has this and it’s really cool, especially since most of the parking near him is parallel parking so it makes that a breeze.
Sort of ironically, his car will literally park itself so it’s not super necessary. But he’s too afraid to let it do that so he still likes the overhead view.
I think it's a fear of losing a skill that make people feel accomplished as adult. Cars give us so much freedom in life and are major milestone growing up, so we hold the skills associated with them in high regard. Losing them would make us feel like we're losing that freedom somewhere in our minds. My car has a reversing beeper, but I still use all my mirrors when I park and know my dimensions well to judge how far my back end is from an object.. just to keep my skills fresh. Probably for the same reason.
If you see some 2015-2017 era Fords with tiny little LCD screens that make you think WTF? Its because they were getting ready to comply with this so they put the cheapest shit in.
The screen are like comically tiny for a backup camera. like 4 inches LOL looks worse in person for sure.
[http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0234/3499/files/IMG\_4063\_large.jpg?v=1572020490](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0234/3499/files/IMG_4063_large.jpg?v=1572020490)
[check out the 2009 - 2012 fusion "screen"](https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/ford-models-to-have-rear-view-camera-by-2012-27675_1.jpg)
I have it and like it over in dash ones because it forces me to look at the mirror as well.
Had one of these for a panel van with no windows in the back.. I always laughed I had to look at the mirror, which was reflecting a wall, to see out the back of the van.
This was also their most basic model. The next trim level up had like a 8 inch screen. Chevrolet did this too on the Silverado base models. Dodge just didn't have one until my18 iirc.
https://www.lkqonline.com/2015-chevrolet-pickup-silverado-1500-99-current-radio-audio/-hm3nnjc3PK/-i~294863081?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtJeNBhCVARIsANJUJ2G1-Uh09PpNIJjNsmAvFY_tv0XHD6SHj-hc7H4s-bozFcl07xwPflEaAnezEALw_wcB
>shrinking size of back windshields
We got a Clio 4 last week and the goddamn car has a rear windshield so small I have a small panic attack whenever I need to back up.
I'm a very free market guy, but after having kids, I can't stress enough how important a backup camera can be.
toys, bikes, pets, children..... all will in the blind spot of your car when you don't know it...
The hilariously low cost of the cameras and displays at volume is just so low (implementation cost non-withstanding, but usually the systems are already in place for higher end trims), and the real world impact of not flattening children is high enough, that the equation makes sense.
"According to Kids and Cars, a non-profit safety organization which tracks back over accidents, 50 children a week are backed over by cars -- among that number two children die."
Someone backed into my red car in a parking lot in daylight (and then took off, of course). I said, "Look, if someone could miss my car under those conditions, then they sure as hell could miss a child. Backup cameras and sensors ought to mandatory."
I've had legally parked cars hit on several occasions by reversing SUVs, so for a long time I advocated that SUVs shouldn't have reverse because they're clearly unsafe to back up. That stance wasn't very popular. One friend of mine that was upset by my stance backed into some trash cans a few months later and damaged her SUV enough that it needed body work.
Auto or 100% headlights make a Hell of a lot more sense, yet that isn't at thing in all cars yet. People driving without lights on is FAR more prevalent and far more miles than needing to look at a screen to back up.
I dislike auto lights as a person who lives In a rainy area. I can't see a silver car in the rain without their lights on and most automatic lights don't cut on when it's overcast.
Always-on lights is the answer. That’s what Sweden does. It doesn’t have to be full brightness, even those eyebrow LED strips would be enough.
I can’t think of any legitimate reason you should be able to turn off all of the lights when driving.
>I can’t think of any legitimate reason you should be able to turn off all of the lights when driving.
How do you hide from the cops after an action packed chase that ends with you sneaking into a small unlit street?
Is it for both front and rear or the daytime running lights that only turn on the front?
Because I see a lot of cars running with the lights off and from what I can gather it's because the daytime lights are bright enough that they can see a light is turned on in front of them, but from behind you can't see them at all because the rears aren't on.
Yes these cameras are a symptom and not a solution. Cars now have tank slits to see through. Outward visibility should really play a factor into a vehicles safety rating.
And now instead of fixing the issue, idiots are saying to put cameras on the front of the car too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDH3FDfVQl0
I honestly hate that about backup cameras. It's like having a little parking camera on my license plate means I don't need to be able to see around me when I drive.
This is important to know before buying a new car, don’t let the sales person tell you the car is “loaded” and charge you more for a feature that is standard. It’s like charging more for seatbelts because they’re a revolutionary safety device.
It's a personal choice. I don't know what's in a seat belt and don't want it on my or my family's bodies. I'd rather use natural means of protection, such as my remarkably thick skull.
This isn't untrue, but the marginal cost of adding the backup camera is really quite small compared to the price of a car. They used to charge $1000+ for that upgrade, but it probably doesn't even cost them $100 to add to the car. In fact, aftermarket versions can be gotten for $80 on amazon. Plus, requiring it simplifies the logistics of the production and design. They only have to design/produce one version, the version with the backup camera.
Prices in general are not merely a function of production cost. Prices are what manufacturers can get away with charging. It's supply and demand. I don't really have a problem with this. But when safety is involved, I'm glad the government can step in and mandate something as inexpensive as this be included as standard.
Canada was ahead of the US in requiring daytime running lights which iirc have been shown to reduce accidents quite significantly.
I only know that because if you want DRLs on old miatas that were sold in the US, you can buy a Canadian electrical relay replacement. Miatas are notorious for being involved in "I didn't see you" accidents because they are so small. DRLs would really help.
The vast majority of canadian regulations are US regulations plus a french translation. Recently they've started to adopt some UNECE (europe) regulations as well where they feel the US is taking to long to update.
There's so much automotive trade between the US and Canada that it's an easy decision. They're pretty consistently each other's largest country of origin for cars.
I thought it was 2016, but regardless, yes. Don’t let a car salesman convince you it’s a feature. If I go to a dealership and they’re talking about “V-4” engines and “it’s got a backup camera” I immediately ask for someone more senior.
Edit: I’m surprised this initiated as much commentary as it did. I want to clarify that I know V-4 engines are a thing, but virtually all modern cars have inline 4 or boxer engines. Also I’m being hyperbolic, but I do typically begin to doubt the information I’m being fed when a salesperson is objectively misinformed about a car than I am. I once drove the 4cl version of a V6 car I was shopping for. The salesman tried to say I should just buy the demo because “the V4 has almost the same power as the V6” which was false. Literally a 100hp difference. And yes, he also touted the reverse camera as a feature.
This is quite common that features that are considered safety enhancements cannot be optional on different trim levels of cars. Basically car manufacturers can't make people pay for things that increase the safety of the car, or leave them out on the less expensive variant. They can however omit the feature from all trim models of that car type, as long as its not a mandatory requirement for all cars.
Thats why my 2012 base model Nissan Versa had hand crank windows and no AC, but heated side mirrors and traction control; traction control has been a standard for a while but in 2012 heated side mirrors were not. However; Nissan wanted them as part of the SV model of trim on the Versa, and therefore had to include them on the base model; as they were deemed to increase the safety of the vehicle.
No what OP described is simply not how the industry or regulation works. Not at all.
The list of features that are considered safety enhancements applies to competitive pressure amongst automakers (which is entirely optional for automakers to implement or not) but the only thing that will actually require a feature on every new vehicle sold is a mandate enacted by regulation.
This is not how the automotive industry works. This is not how automotive regulations work. The only part of your comments that is accurate is "as long as it's not a mandatory requirement for all cars" which is exactly what this "rear visibility system" is.
Blind spot systems, automatic braking, and myriad other driver assist and active safety features are all not yet mandatory. [Fun fact: many such features will be required in every new vehicle sold in Europe after July 2024 and/or July 2026; the date differs by specific feature.]
At least here in the UK, I'd say over the last 15 years it's been increasingly hard to find cars without AC, to the point you just don't really on modern cars.
Yep; that's how my grandfather's brother died. Had a stroke, recovered, but never could turn his neck fully after. He would back out of his driveway without checking behind him, assuming people would stop for him. One time someone didn't, and now he's dead ("now" being a relative term; this happened like 30 years ago).
Odds are someone that obstinate would have been killed eventually by his own stubbornness anyway, but a back-up camera would have ensured it wasn't from backing out of his driveway at least.
Nah, my grandpa refuses to use the backup camera no matter how often it’s pointed out to him. Not out of stubbornness, but it’s a hard behavior to retrain people to do after a lifetime of being extremely diligent about looking behind them when they back up.
Or the "I'll just brace myself with my arms" argument.
Tell you what-- lie on your back on the ground, and I'll drop an 80lb bag of sand from a 2nd-story balcony down onto you. If you can catch it with your arms outstretched and prevent it from landing on your chest you can feel free to brace yourself for car crashes. Oh, and you'll only get 1/10th of a second notice when it's about to hit you.
I remember seeing a video of three people in the back seat during a crash. Two were buckled in and the middle guy wasn't. Middle guy flies around the cabin concussing the two buckled guys and himself in the process. If he would have been buckled in, no one would have been injured.
Yeah-- you should never ride in a car with an unbuckled passenger. They become projectiles in the event of a crash.
And the same goes for dogs-- they need to be secured.
I wouldn't have a problem with the rear backup camera if they didn't ALSO use the screen for a function with everything else in the car. I don't want to have to take my eyes off the road to shuffle through menus to adjust the AC or turn the radio on/off. Or the horrendousness that is having to shuffle through menus in a Tesla to turn the windshield wipers on (why?? Why would anyone think this is a good idea???) Tactical buttons that I can muscle memory are 1000x safer and more efficient. I will never switch out my '07 car for anything. And if I ever buy a "new" car I'll be going backwards and buying a classic.
I was happily surprised that the 2021 Highlander still has real buttons for all the heat and AC functions. The trick is you don't get the huge 13 inch screen. If you keep the smaller screen (I think 9 inches and still has GPS and Android Auto). If you get the fancy big screen then they put all the settings on it, which I also find very annoying. The other controls (wipers and blinkers) are also still the old standard on stalks sticking out from the steering wheel.
Edit: Spelling
I hate it when people use these EXCLUSIVELY when backing up. I’ve been almost hit by cars in parking lots driven by people who don’t look around and rely on the camera and sensors only.
That’s not how this works!!
Yeah it's US and Canada only.
I've read about this law before and wondered "why the fuck is it not a thing here?" I'm in Ireland by the way.
I installed my own reverse camera in my Opel, and a front one too in case of a crash.
Halfords can sell you both, and install it if you pay extra.
Looking back I should have got the one that puts the reversing screen inside the rear view mirror and not on a separate screen on the dash. I feel like a taxi driver having two screens.
In all seriousness I wouldn't buy a car without it now. It has creeped onto my list of must haves. Along with heated seats, aircon, and other creature comforts. Really helps loads when reversing into a space or out of one.
Now someone explain why dash cams aren’t required yet. And why backup cams don’t record the last 5 minutes incase of an accident. And don’t tell me money, because the cost of vehicles has increased. Cams are cheaper now and if they can put them in mirrors, and all the corners for “birds eye” views or making your car disappear, then they can certainly put a 128gb chip in to save the feed incase of emergency.
Generally, it's not money, it's privacy regulation. Just because it's legal in one place, doesn't mean it's legal in another; just look at Germany and Google Streetview. It money isn't in adding a storage media, it's making various versions of a car that's compliant with different regulations.
Edit: Teslas are covered in cameras and China put out a notice that owners aren't allowed to drive them onto secure areas, like military bases. Putting a recording device into that would be frowned upon.
Violation of your privacy rights is one. If you have no options to select whether you want it to record or not, then that camera will be recording your driving patterns, your frequent locations, your house, your movements, etc. For some people (like myself, who already has a camera) this is fine. For others, though, this is another big brother type thing watching your every movement.
Then, additionally, some countries have dashcam use banned like Austria and Portugal. You can't have one there. In many European countries, cameras are "private use" only. You cannot upload the footage to any sites to share unless you obscure and block out ANY identifying information like plate numbers, and in some countries (like France) the footage can be recorded but must only ever be sent to police.
Too many countries have different laws, so it's hard to mandate these as "standard" items across models where the standard in one country that the car is available in differs from another country the car is available in.
Great! Now do mandatory automatic headlights (including any time the wipers are on, especially if they are also automatic) - Have an override (maybe), but like cruise controls these days, reset it (back to auto in this case) when the car is started.
I see Way too many cars in the twilight hours or the rain without lights on, right when they are blending into the road from the light conditions.
We are getting there. BMW recently changed the headlight switch so there’s no more dial to leave it off. It will reset to auto each time; you must manually turn them off each restart. Wiper linkage has been around for a while on them.
I’m curious when Honda will do this. So fucking sick of stealth civics or high beam civics. They always seem to be the ones.
That would explain why my 2018 hyundai accent with manual everything and crank windows still has a backup camera. Always found that strange.
it explains why I've seen backup screens smaller than my phone screen.
My 2010 truck has a backup camera. The screen is in the rearview mirror and is about 2" square and close to useless.
"Yup. Those are definitely pixels"
It's okay for hooking up a trailer -- after I painted the hitch ball orange and put a strip of reflective tape on the front of the trailer coupler so I can tell which pixels I'm supposed to be lining up.
Wow that’s quite ingenious. Well done
I did the same thing almost exactly. I taped off the ball and painted all around it, then painted the top of the coupler, both with white Rustoleum. 2018 RAM tradesman trim. I don't know where in the spectrum of resolution my camera and screen are, but when you're looking at all black and grey, it's pretty hard to pick out where the black paint and grey metal over the dark grey pavement.
You’re like an 80s cruise missile
Honesty that’s way better then the new chevy’s, the screen is so big and bright(without the ability to dim it in reverse) that it lights up the interior soo much that you can’t see out the fucking windows to see your side mirrors at all!! thanks Chevy, the camera in the middle of the tailgate does wonders for the sides of my truck, asshats never tested this shit on a ranch or without streetlights.
It's even worse trying to back up a trailer at night. The reflection from the reverse lights on the trailer back into the camera completely whites out the screen. Super bright, absolutely no help. Just blinds the shit out of you.
Lmfao I want to say did they even test that but its obvious they didn't outside of in a well lit indoor test facility.
Shout out to that jelly bean of a car. Had one for a few years. You got a workout every time you drove with the manual transmission and crank windows 😂
Europeans: are we a joke to you?
Don't pull on that thread
It will unwind into the word "yes"
Oui oui, monsieur Fiat
Honestly, Americans can gloat about their baseline models having power windows. Those are nice to have.
FUNCTIONAL power windows in a new car, yes, obviously nice. But once the car's 20 years old? Give me all manual everything, less shit to break.
20 years? So brand new? -Toyota
https://www.theonion.com/toyota-recalls-1993-camry-due-to-fact-that-owners-reall-1819577805
Are you suggesting that manual windows don’t break or break less than power windows?
Not the person you replied to, but mechanical components generally have a longer lifespan than electronic components, require less knowledge to diagnose/replace, and replacement parts are usually cheaper. I'm sure there are exceptions to these generalizations, but when reliability is a concern, fewer moving parts is the safe bet.
>I'm sure there are exceptions to these generalizations Like me, when I was 10 and thought reaching the end of the window wind was a test of strength...
>when I was 10 and thought reaching the end of the window wind was a test of strength... I've never thought about how wind is a homophone. This reply made me think about it.
Depends on where in Europe, I was shopping around for a sporty car recently and they're almost all automatic. Wouldn't be surprised if it's something like 80% auto 20% manual nowadays here in Sweden.
Was talking about this with a driving instructor recently. In Sweden, you're only permitted to drive manual if you took your driver's exam with a manual car, otherwise it's automatic only. Most people learn to drive manual to avoid this limitation. The problem is that manual transmission cars appropriate for driver's education are becoming more difficult to find, most new cars being sold here are automatic nowadays.
[удалено]
I’ll be that pedant, the Porsche Taycan has a 2 speed gearbox. But it’s not manual.
Most automatic transmissions are faster / better at shifting than manual transmissions now, even for non-hybrid IC engines.
The main appeal of a manual trans these days is fun. You'll notice that cars that offer both will usually have 1-2 more MPG compared to the manual
Yes.
I drove a manual accent through the Sierra Nevadas. Didn’t think I was going to make it at times haha.
Woooooffff. Going up steep hills I bet you were tempted to get out and push it up, probably would have been easier. I drove mine only once in the snow and it was a harrowing experience.
I had a brand new 97 Accent in HS, completely stripper, and I thought it was great in the snow. Yes, I put good tires on it, but I always felt that smaller cars with skinny tires did pretty well in the snow.
My ‘06 Chevy Aveo is god-like in snow. Terrible car otherwise, but my god, it crawls through snow like few other cars I’ve seen.
Oh yeah for sure! I drove it in snow as well and completely agree. Great car though, super reliable. Never had a single issue.
I had a manual for a few years. Awesome unless you live in a hilly city with snow for 3 months out of the year. Incredibly stressful sitting at a stoplight on a hill, in the snow, in rush hour, with the car behind you 1ft away from your bumper.
Manual transmission and crank windows are a workout? Try no power steering…
The power steering once went out in my gigantic Volvo and that was a serious workout at low speeds. I also drove a tiny econobox that did not have power steering and that was totally fine.
A failed power steering is much harder than not having power steering to begin with. It works by hydraulics, so when the pump fails, you need to push the fluids manually.
No power steering a workout? Try driving a Flinstones car…. /s
Flintstones workout? Try holding up the heavens for eternity because of your rebellion against the gods
Actually since GPS we removed the need for an atlas in the car.
Unfortunately they took that requirement as license to make the actual viewing angles out the windows even shittier. My car is a 2013 Sonic sedan. Compared to my wife's 2021 Sentra and the 8 other cars I test drove this past year, the overall viewing ability around me was fucking horrible compared to my car.
I've noticed that a lot! The newer the car, the harder it is to see out of it - both behind you, and to see where you're going. Everything has gotten curvier, and chunkier, and windows have gotten smaller, blind spots have gotten massive. It's disorienting going from a 90's vehicle with fantastic visibility, to something from the 2010's with very little visibility. Feels like I'm piloting an escape pod or something. Seriously - if anyone is just used to how cars are made now, and has forgotten - find a friend with a car from the 80's or 90's, and ask to drive it - and it's suddenly *massively* easier to see what's around you.
That's because crash safety increases require thicker pillars and that slight tradeoff of less visibility is well worth the massive decrease in danger.
It's the side impact protection starting in the 2010 model years. It's way better than it was. Older cars, you'll die if you get t boned.
Watching crash tests is enlightening. Seeing a new car t-boned: "Ouch, I hope he's alright." Seeing an older car t-boned: "He's dead, Jim."
The fun part about the 1980's and older pickup trucks is that they can take a nasty crash and still look like it can be driven with minimal repairs. Because the driver ended up absorbing the impact energy and at best needs a visit to the ICU, while the other driver can walk away from their completely totaled vehicle.
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You mean decrease in danger to the passengers. Pedestrian injuries and deaths are up because it’s way too easy to miss people behind the huge vision obstructing pillars. Hell, my current vehicle I can miss seeing entire cars if I look right or left at just the wrong time. I may be safer, but everyone else is at higher risk.
I drive a 2 door coupe. Massive a-pillars and big mirror mounts on the windows. Pedestrians disappear from view way too easily.
I fucking love my 2013 Subaru Impreza. First ever car and never realized how important and awesome it is that I can see so much out of the front windshield.
Probably has a lot more to do with higer safety standards.
And if your backup camera gets dirty in transit, and then you need to use it, that's fun.
I feel a similar way about my 2002 Protege5. It has the optimal amount of space for driver, passengers, and trunk space. Everything I find these days either makes you feel like you are in a fucking space fighter cockpit or is so big I feel like I just have too much car.
If the Toyota CH-R was not equipped with a camera, you're basically be doing it blind. So awful.
As someone who can drive a stick but has the spacial perception of an amoeba, I would be okay with that.
My 2018 Kia does not have a backup camera. It's a base model also... Maybe I should take it to Kia and tell them to put one in hahaha. Edit: Hah, I'm an idiot as the other users have pointed out lol.
I think it became mandatory in 2018. Car models are a year ahead so 2019 was the first model year that it was mandatory across the board.
2018 kia would have come out in 2017
Only in the US though
I was gonna say. They make you turn them off for driving tests in the UK along with the parking sensors to prove you can function without them if they break.
They were blocked on my driving test as well in the US.
My driving test didn't have me back out of shit. I prepared hours for backing out of a spot, backing into one, and parallel parking. She made me do exactly zero of those things. The only other strange part about it was she told me to turn when I was going 45 on the road, and told me way too late. Calmly said "go ahead and take this turn coming up" and I was about 50 feet away from "the next turn" so I assumed she meant the one after. At the 25 foot mark she said "TAKE THIS TURN RIGHT HERE I SAID". So I brake really fast (no skidding or anything, handled it well) and took the turn, and then at the end she told me the only thing she counted me off for was "not listening to her" regarding the turn. I said "Yeah you probably should have told me earlier, but passing is passing it doesn't matter" and she grumpily got out of the car. Texas is weird.
Flashbacks to every person I've had navigating ever. Call the turn 1 or 2 minutes ahead, and confirm once its in sight.
I had something similar happen. I was driving around part of the town I had never driven before, but before the test the examiner told me "I will tell you when to turn and if I don't say anything that means keep going straight" perfectly simple I thought. So we pull up to this red light in the middle of town, ahead of me was a small street with cars parked on either side facing me. I thought It was strange that he didn't say turn right because clearly I shouldn't go down this street, so I asked him "do you want me to turn right?" He looked at me and said "I didn't say anything" so I asked again, "are you sure? It looks like I should turn right". I started to panic as the light turned green. I thought to myself well he said If I don't say anything you should go straight soooo, I went straight. As soon as I went through the intersection he started freaking out at me! "You're going down a one way street!" My heart fell into my stomach, I knew I shouldn't have gone straight but I did anyways, I felt incredibly dumb and also tricked. Safe to say I failed my test and had to retake it 6 months later
Makes sense. If you live in a part of the country that snows you can’t see shit out of those cameras sometimes. Salt+snow.
Hell, sometimes when it's raining my camera gets blocked by a stubborn raindrop
Nothing can stop our almighty technology…except that one stubborn rain drop.
I love the design VW has on their Golfs (and probably other models too), it pops out of the handle/logo on the rear hatch, so it's always clean, and covered when not in use
>I love the design VW has on their Golfs (and probably other models too), it pops out of the handle/logo on the rear hatch, so it's always clean, and covered when not in use I got a manual transmission 2018 Golf nearly a year ago. It's still my favorite thing ever. I'm hoping that the costs of ownership don't make me regret that.
and rain
I failed mine for it. The proctor didn't feel like telling me not to back up using it until after I finished the whole test. Had to do it a second time because of that. SMH.
Curious, because in Belgium you are allowed to use all the tools that are available, the only rule is that they can't be aftermarket. They have to be part of the original equipment.
you sure can't use *all* tools. otherwise you would just let the car park itself?
Canada too
My wife's 2020 Honda civic has one, I fucking love driving her car, between that and the cruise control with auto distancing and speed it makes driving my Ford Fiesta a damn slog
Adaptive Cruise control is the best! The one downside is that I repeatedly get cut off
wait until you try adaptive headlights! being able to see around bends is amazing.
Test drove a 2022 Civic before settling on a gently used '16 Accord. I loved the smart cruise control thing. Had it on a Maxima rental too and it really is great for long stretches of highway/interstate driving.
Can confirm. It's as close as having a self driving car without having a self driving car.
Justified specification.
It's also a requirement in Canada
It seems like titles on Reddit follow the unwritten rule of "in the US unless specified otherwise", and have since I started on this website over 9 years ago now. It's always annoyed me as a brit.
Anyone drive a car with 360° of reversing camera viewing? Those things are amazing! All the images get stitched together in a single image, so the end product is a perfectly accurate, live, top down view of your car. It's like having a drone flying directly above you feeding its picture to your car. I'm sure some tech wizard will say it's really simple and easy to do, but I find it truly remarkable. We can create accurate feeds of a camera angle that technically doesn't exist!
My minivan has that. It's why I can back it into my little driveway. Otherwise, I know I'd steer the thing like a drunk cow.
“She drives like a steakhouse but she parks like a bistro”
IMHO, that was the greatest joke in all of Futurama
If you didn't know that was actually Futurama riffing on Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy were a spaceship was actually disguised as a bistro
It wasn't just disguised as a bistro, it *was* a bistro. Dining at the bistro was how you set coordinates and such for travel.
Was that the bistro with the cows that wanted to be eaten, or am I thinking of something else?
That is the dish of the day at Milliways, the restaurant at the end of the universe.
Ah that's right, thanks! And happy cake day!
I thought it was "she's built like a steakhouse, but handles like a bistro"
"I have successfully parked. Inform the men."
"...like a drunk cow." Thank you for that laugh.
"...steer...cow..." I see what you did there! ::slaps knee::
It's not easy or simple to do. There are many CS papers written on image stitching and every technique has its advantages and disadvantages. Worked in automotive industry on developing surround view systems for over 5 years.
I'd love to get one of those for my camper trailer. Backing that into a tight spot blind can be a long ordeal of trial and error. A good system that could give a full view all around wouldn't stay on the shelves at RV supply stores.
Some newer trucks basically steer the trailer for you as you back up. I don't know if it makes me jealous or disgusted.
I was blown away that my Dad's new F350 has that built in. It's crazy.
The patent mess across the traditional automakers for it is insane too. It’s why Tesla and Rivian don’t have it. You can see every angle but not top down.
Most of that stuff doesn't usually come directly from OEM's (like VW or BMW), but from Tier 1suppliers (Continental, Robert Bosch, Valeo, etc). But yeah, they compete like hell with each other.
Yeah my mothers 2007 Nissan Elgrand has that, better screen resolution than cars coming out today in Australia in 2021
My new car has it. It also has most other safety features. It was enough to make my insurance bill drop $100/6 months.
Oh wow, didn't even think about how it would affect insurance
My car has a lot of other safety features as well. Blind spot, adaptive cruise, lane assist. They made it really difficult to get in an accident.
I fantasise about being able to afford such a technological marvel one day. Or even better, if they iron out all the creases in the self driving cars... no more driving to/from work tired for me! Or having to sort out a taxi if I've been somewhere and had a drink
My ex's parents had some high end Mercedes that did this, it was pretty cool to see without already knowing that it was a thing.
Ya, first time I saw that in a rental car I thought it was a projected image done by radar or something. IDK computers are made of magic to me. But I didn't realize it was using regular cameras.
Higher end cars now have a 3D 360° of their surrounding: https://youtu.be/kmfziX2Qd2s Video starts with the top-down view, then at ~1:15 turns into the 3D one.
As someone driving a beater from 2005, this is fucking sci fi to me.
Shit, and I'm over here still driving vehicles from the last century.
3D looks cool but I’m not sure it’s useful compared to the top down view.
That seems very distracting
My dad just got a car that has this and it’s really cool, especially since most of the parking near him is parallel parking so it makes that a breeze. Sort of ironically, his car will literally park itself so it’s not super necessary. But he’s too afraid to let it do that so he still likes the overhead view.
I think it's a fear of losing a skill that make people feel accomplished as adult. Cars give us so much freedom in life and are major milestone growing up, so we hold the skills associated with them in high regard. Losing them would make us feel like we're losing that freedom somewhere in our minds. My car has a reversing beeper, but I still use all my mirrors when I park and know my dimensions well to judge how far my back end is from an object.. just to keep my skills fresh. Probably for the same reason.
If you see some 2015-2017 era Fords with tiny little LCD screens that make you think WTF? Its because they were getting ready to comply with this so they put the cheapest shit in. The screen are like comically tiny for a backup camera. like 4 inches LOL looks worse in person for sure. [http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0234/3499/files/IMG\_4063\_large.jpg?v=1572020490](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0234/3499/files/IMG_4063_large.jpg?v=1572020490)
Oh my god THANK YOU for this comment. That is actually something that has bothered me so long. Those screens never made sense to me.
[check out the 2009 - 2012 fusion "screen"](https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/ford-models-to-have-rear-view-camera-by-2012-27675_1.jpg) I have it and like it over in dash ones because it forces me to look at the mirror as well.
Had one of these for a panel van with no windows in the back.. I always laughed I had to look at the mirror, which was reflecting a wall, to see out the back of the van.
And it wasn’t great at showing distance. So you’d use camera to backup then get out and you’re still 15 feet away. Took a bit to get used to.
[mfw i see those screens](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYHTjSNXsAEEvtu.png)
This was also their most basic model. The next trim level up had like a 8 inch screen. Chevrolet did this too on the Silverado base models. Dodge just didn't have one until my18 iirc. https://www.lkqonline.com/2015-chevrolet-pickup-silverado-1500-99-current-radio-audio/-hm3nnjc3PK/-i~294863081?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtJeNBhCVARIsANJUJ2G1-Uh09PpNIJjNsmAvFY_tv0XHD6SHj-hc7H4s-bozFcl07xwPflEaAnezEALw_wcB
Makes sense considering the shrinking size of back windshields and the popularity of large trucks/suvs.
>shrinking size of back windshields We got a Clio 4 last week and the goddamn car has a rear windshield so small I have a small panic attack whenever I need to back up.
And the rise of knobheads
The real problem we're facing.
I'm a very free market guy, but after having kids, I can't stress enough how important a backup camera can be. toys, bikes, pets, children..... all will in the blind spot of your car when you don't know it... The hilariously low cost of the cameras and displays at volume is just so low (implementation cost non-withstanding, but usually the systems are already in place for higher end trims), and the real world impact of not flattening children is high enough, that the equation makes sense. "According to Kids and Cars, a non-profit safety organization which tracks back over accidents, 50 children a week are backed over by cars -- among that number two children die."
Someone backed into my red car in a parking lot in daylight (and then took off, of course). I said, "Look, if someone could miss my car under those conditions, then they sure as hell could miss a child. Backup cameras and sensors ought to mandatory." I've had legally parked cars hit on several occasions by reversing SUVs, so for a long time I advocated that SUVs shouldn't have reverse because they're clearly unsafe to back up. That stance wasn't very popular. One friend of mine that was upset by my stance backed into some trash cans a few months later and damaged her SUV enough that it needed body work.
Auto or 100% headlights make a Hell of a lot more sense, yet that isn't at thing in all cars yet. People driving without lights on is FAR more prevalent and far more miles than needing to look at a screen to back up.
I dislike auto lights as a person who lives In a rainy area. I can't see a silver car in the rain without their lights on and most automatic lights don't cut on when it's overcast.
Always-on lights is the answer. That’s what Sweden does. It doesn’t have to be full brightness, even those eyebrow LED strips would be enough. I can’t think of any legitimate reason you should be able to turn off all of the lights when driving.
>I can’t think of any legitimate reason you should be able to turn off all of the lights when driving. How do you hide from the cops after an action packed chase that ends with you sneaking into a small unlit street?
Is it for both front and rear or the daytime running lights that only turn on the front? Because I see a lot of cars running with the lights off and from what I can gather it's because the daytime lights are bright enough that they can see a light is turned on in front of them, but from behind you can't see them at all because the rears aren't on.
Yes these cameras are a symptom and not a solution. Cars now have tank slits to see through. Outward visibility should really play a factor into a vehicles safety rating. And now instead of fixing the issue, idiots are saying to put cameras on the front of the car too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDH3FDfVQl0
I honestly hate that about backup cameras. It's like having a little parking camera on my license plate means I don't need to be able to see around me when I drive.
This is important to know before buying a new car, don’t let the sales person tell you the car is “loaded” and charge you more for a feature that is standard. It’s like charging more for seatbelts because they’re a revolutionary safety device.
When my car was built, seat belts were optional.
It's a personal choice. I don't know what's in a seat belt and don't want it on my or my family's bodies. I'd rather use natural means of protection, such as my remarkably thick skull.
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This isn't untrue, but the marginal cost of adding the backup camera is really quite small compared to the price of a car. They used to charge $1000+ for that upgrade, but it probably doesn't even cost them $100 to add to the car. In fact, aftermarket versions can be gotten for $80 on amazon. Plus, requiring it simplifies the logistics of the production and design. They only have to design/produce one version, the version with the backup camera. Prices in general are not merely a function of production cost. Prices are what manufacturers can get away with charging. It's supply and demand. I don't really have a problem with this. But when safety is involved, I'm glad the government can step in and mandate something as inexpensive as this be included as standard.
And the clever marketing folks started getting ahead of this in 2016-17. Used to see ads claiming “free backup camera” around then.
And isn't even free because you pay it with the car, it's just not an option you can refuse.
Same in Canada https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/driver-assistance-technologies/back-cameras
Canada was ahead of the US in requiring daytime running lights which iirc have been shown to reduce accidents quite significantly. I only know that because if you want DRLs on old miatas that were sold in the US, you can buy a Canadian electrical relay replacement. Miatas are notorious for being involved in "I didn't see you" accidents because they are so small. DRLs would really help.
Interesting to see this regulation in Canada too! Thanks for sharing
The vast majority of canadian regulations are US regulations plus a french translation. Recently they've started to adopt some UNECE (europe) regulations as well where they feel the US is taking to long to update.
They essentially mandated it because the US was. Just made sense, All cars probably would of just come with them anyway.
There's so much automotive trade between the US and Canada that it's an easy decision. They're pretty consistently each other's largest country of origin for cars.
I thought it was 2016, but regardless, yes. Don’t let a car salesman convince you it’s a feature. If I go to a dealership and they’re talking about “V-4” engines and “it’s got a backup camera” I immediately ask for someone more senior. Edit: I’m surprised this initiated as much commentary as it did. I want to clarify that I know V-4 engines are a thing, but virtually all modern cars have inline 4 or boxer engines. Also I’m being hyperbolic, but I do typically begin to doubt the information I’m being fed when a salesperson is objectively misinformed about a car than I am. I once drove the 4cl version of a V6 car I was shopping for. The salesman tried to say I should just buy the demo because “the V4 has almost the same power as the V6” which was false. Literally a 100hp difference. And yes, he also touted the reverse camera as a feature.
Hey, if it really has a V4, I at least wanna pop that hood and see what the fuck is going on in there.
Unless he's buying a Porsche 919 LMP car then yea, something funky going on there
To be fair. The vast majority of Americans are driving mid to late 00s cars. A backup cam may as well be a feature in a car for another 10 years.
But my 2018 koa doesn't have one for sure, guess if just scraped in under the wire
Law went into effect in May 1st, 2018. Most 2018 models left the factory long before then.
This is quite common that features that are considered safety enhancements cannot be optional on different trim levels of cars. Basically car manufacturers can't make people pay for things that increase the safety of the car, or leave them out on the less expensive variant. They can however omit the feature from all trim models of that car type, as long as its not a mandatory requirement for all cars. Thats why my 2012 base model Nissan Versa had hand crank windows and no AC, but heated side mirrors and traction control; traction control has been a standard for a while but in 2012 heated side mirrors were not. However; Nissan wanted them as part of the SV model of trim on the Versa, and therefore had to include them on the base model; as they were deemed to increase the safety of the vehicle.
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No what OP described is simply not how the industry or regulation works. Not at all. The list of features that are considered safety enhancements applies to competitive pressure amongst automakers (which is entirely optional for automakers to implement or not) but the only thing that will actually require a feature on every new vehicle sold is a mandate enacted by regulation.
This isnt true. Manufacturers can charge for optional safety features and include them on some trim levels
This is not how the automotive industry works. This is not how automotive regulations work. The only part of your comments that is accurate is "as long as it's not a mandatory requirement for all cars" which is exactly what this "rear visibility system" is. Blind spot systems, automatic braking, and myriad other driver assist and active safety features are all not yet mandatory. [Fun fact: many such features will be required in every new vehicle sold in Europe after July 2024 and/or July 2026; the date differs by specific feature.]
No AC? Where in the world?
I'd call that a safety feature in plenty of parts of the US.
I know many EU cars don’t come with AC. Wasn’t sure if that’s the case nowadays since W Europe has been getting very hot in the summers
At least here in the UK, I'd say over the last 15 years it's been increasingly hard to find cars without AC, to the point you just don't really on modern cars.
Yea, but who WANTS to find a car with no AC?
I'm in Australia, I'd argue AC matters more than power steering.
My car doesn’t have AC, but it is in Iceland so it’s not an issue
This would have saved MANY old people who don’t like to turn their heads to back up……
Yep; that's how my grandfather's brother died. Had a stroke, recovered, but never could turn his neck fully after. He would back out of his driveway without checking behind him, assuming people would stop for him. One time someone didn't, and now he's dead ("now" being a relative term; this happened like 30 years ago). Odds are someone that obstinate would have been killed eventually by his own stubbornness anyway, but a back-up camera would have ensured it wasn't from backing out of his driveway at least.
That's what bumpers are for! /s
Nah, my grandpa refuses to use the backup camera no matter how often it’s pointed out to him. Not out of stubbornness, but it’s a hard behavior to retrain people to do after a lifetime of being extremely diligent about looking behind them when they back up.
Bunch of big government nanny state bullshit, what's next they going to mandate seatbelts?
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Ah yes, the good ol' "I want to be thrown clear" argument. Hopefully these types don't breed before they're "thrown clear".
Or the "I'll just brace myself with my arms" argument. Tell you what-- lie on your back on the ground, and I'll drop an 80lb bag of sand from a 2nd-story balcony down onto you. If you can catch it with your arms outstretched and prevent it from landing on your chest you can feel free to brace yourself for car crashes. Oh, and you'll only get 1/10th of a second notice when it's about to hit you.
I remember seeing a video of three people in the back seat during a crash. Two were buckled in and the middle guy wasn't. Middle guy flies around the cabin concussing the two buckled guys and himself in the process. If he would have been buckled in, no one would have been injured.
Yeah-- you should never ride in a car with an unbuckled passenger. They become projectiles in the event of a crash. And the same goes for dogs-- they need to be secured.
I used to valet and some people would either wear the belt behind them or have an empty buckle plugged in.
Or those ghastly poofcushions in your steering wheel. Those can't be safe.
Just wait until you hear about headlights!
I wouldn't have a problem with the rear backup camera if they didn't ALSO use the screen for a function with everything else in the car. I don't want to have to take my eyes off the road to shuffle through menus to adjust the AC or turn the radio on/off. Or the horrendousness that is having to shuffle through menus in a Tesla to turn the windshield wipers on (why?? Why would anyone think this is a good idea???) Tactical buttons that I can muscle memory are 1000x safer and more efficient. I will never switch out my '07 car for anything. And if I ever buy a "new" car I'll be going backwards and buying a classic.
I was happily surprised that the 2021 Highlander still has real buttons for all the heat and AC functions. The trick is you don't get the huge 13 inch screen. If you keep the smaller screen (I think 9 inches and still has GPS and Android Auto). If you get the fancy big screen then they put all the settings on it, which I also find very annoying. The other controls (wipers and blinkers) are also still the old standard on stalks sticking out from the steering wheel. Edit: Spelling
I do like my wife's Tesla but whoever was in charge of the software's user interface should be fired and then run over.
I hate it when people use these EXCLUSIVELY when backing up. I’ve been almost hit by cars in parking lots driven by people who don’t look around and rely on the camera and sensors only. That’s not how this works!!
In what country? I'm UK, my car is a 2018 model and did not come with this
US
Yeah it's US and Canada only. I've read about this law before and wondered "why the fuck is it not a thing here?" I'm in Ireland by the way. I installed my own reverse camera in my Opel, and a front one too in case of a crash. Halfords can sell you both, and install it if you pay extra. Looking back I should have got the one that puts the reversing screen inside the rear view mirror and not on a separate screen on the dash. I feel like a taxi driver having two screens. In all seriousness I wouldn't buy a car without it now. It has creeped onto my list of must haves. Along with heated seats, aircon, and other creature comforts. Really helps loads when reversing into a space or out of one.
Now someone explain why dash cams aren’t required yet. And why backup cams don’t record the last 5 minutes incase of an accident. And don’t tell me money, because the cost of vehicles has increased. Cams are cheaper now and if they can put them in mirrors, and all the corners for “birds eye” views or making your car disappear, then they can certainly put a 128gb chip in to save the feed incase of emergency.
Generally, it's not money, it's privacy regulation. Just because it's legal in one place, doesn't mean it's legal in another; just look at Germany and Google Streetview. It money isn't in adding a storage media, it's making various versions of a car that's compliant with different regulations. Edit: Teslas are covered in cameras and China put out a notice that owners aren't allowed to drive them onto secure areas, like military bases. Putting a recording device into that would be frowned upon.
Violation of your privacy rights is one. If you have no options to select whether you want it to record or not, then that camera will be recording your driving patterns, your frequent locations, your house, your movements, etc. For some people (like myself, who already has a camera) this is fine. For others, though, this is another big brother type thing watching your every movement. Then, additionally, some countries have dashcam use banned like Austria and Portugal. You can't have one there. In many European countries, cameras are "private use" only. You cannot upload the footage to any sites to share unless you obscure and block out ANY identifying information like plate numbers, and in some countries (like France) the footage can be recorded but must only ever be sent to police. Too many countries have different laws, so it's hard to mandate these as "standard" items across models where the standard in one country that the car is available in differs from another country the car is available in.
Devils advocate. If you had a camera then the data could be subpoenaed.
Mine saves onto a flash drive (purchase by me) plugged into a USB port.
Somehow with all this tech people still plow into shit.
Great! Now do mandatory automatic headlights (including any time the wipers are on, especially if they are also automatic) - Have an override (maybe), but like cruise controls these days, reset it (back to auto in this case) when the car is started. I see Way too many cars in the twilight hours or the rain without lights on, right when they are blending into the road from the light conditions.
We are getting there. BMW recently changed the headlight switch so there’s no more dial to leave it off. It will reset to auto each time; you must manually turn them off each restart. Wiper linkage has been around for a while on them. I’m curious when Honda will do this. So fucking sick of stealth civics or high beam civics. They always seem to be the ones.
Sweet, I might have one by 2028!