Car cameras

[Broadback]

Why are they mostly rear pointing? I would have thought that it would be better to have them pointing where you are going.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

There are those as well. Dashcams.

I'd imagine it would be cool to have a black sludge dispenser on the back so when a car is tailgating you you sludge their windscreen. Brian

[Tim+]

Are they? I hadn?t noticed. I suspect it?s down to observer bias. Easier to see a rearward facing camera when your following or stopped in traffic than a forward facing one when you?re looking in your mirror or looking at traffic approaching.

Tim

[soup]

Confused? Do you mean cameras that allow you to see out the back, whilst reversing or such, that allows you a 'better', clearer might be a better word, to the rear than simply looking out the back window. Especially trying to reverse into tight spots (though only an aid [1] really, you should also keep an all round check on environs).

Looking forward is usually the way you perceive the world and with front steer cars all is as expected. If you need evidential views to the front of the car a dashcam can be fitted.

[1] I was taught that even with a reversing cam you should mainly look out the back window and glance in the mirrors (this also lets you check any front end swing) and only use the rear view as an AID to ensure you fit (I had a habit of staring at the rear view screen, soon gotten out of me ).

[newshound]

The one gadget I have always wanted was a big laser canon to vapourise middle lane hogs.

[Bob Eager]

The cameras on my car are mostly unobtrusive. One reversing one where the boot handle used to be. One forward facing in the radiator grille. And one built into the rear view mirror housing on the windscreen.

The only easily visible one is the dashcam.

[alan_m]

Dashcams point forwards as do cameras used to recognise road signs and perhaps those used to warn of lane discipline.

Rear facing cameras are used for (auto) reverse parking aids and/or to give a greater view than an internal rear view mirror.

[Dave Liquorice]

B-)

And those who use the "magic indicator".

[charles]

is that the invisible one?

[Bob Eager]

Many modern dashcams can have an auxiliary rear facing camera too.

[T i m]

I wonder what they are thinking when they sit in lane 2 (at 60 mph) all the time when the rest of the motorway is empty (seriously)?

Is it I wonder that they are less likely to get taken off the motorway by mistake, like they might if L1 turns off at a junction (and they miss all the clues) or that they think it's just for lorries?

I've sat behind them (at a safe distance) and they have (sometimes) eventually pulled into L1, I overtake and go back into L1 myself, only to see them go back out into L2 (now moving slower than I am in L1)?

Dad was party to the nearest thing you could get to your laser canon, but for tailgaters.

4 of them were driving back from a studio photo session down a winding country road and whilst making good progress themselves, someone was stuck on their tail for some reason. After a few miles of that, one of the guys in the back put a Mecablitz studio flashgun on the parcel shelf, facing backwards and switched it on. On a suitably safe straight bit, he fired it and they watched the offending headlights disappear backwards very fast, as might happen if someone had braked fairly hard because they had temporarily lost their night vision. ;-)

It does make you want to sometimes eh ... ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[FMurtz]

they point where you can not see.

[Jane Black]

So you don?t run over and kill your little kids.

Nope, because you can see that better.

[Jane Black]

Yep, particularly the ones that come standard with a new car.

Nope, trivial to see what comes with new cars.

[Jane Black]

Whoever taught you was a fool. The main point of reversing cameras is to avoid running over little kids who are too short to be seen in the rear view mirror and can be run over and killed.

[polygonum_on_google]

Must say, most people in my current neck of the woods leave a reasonable gap. Just the odd one gets too close and stays there. When they do, you can be pretty sure that they are also going to try to zoom past when they can. Last really bad one tried to do so and went into a hatched area for people turning right from the oncoming lane. Shame someone turned into it right in front of them. Screeching brakes, sudden dive in front of me with inches to spare. (I was doing spot on 60 so any overtaking was automatically speeding.)

We have seen so many "If you can read this, you are too close" signs (and many variants). Am a bit surprised I haven't yet seen automatic signs that light up on the back of the vehicle being tailgated. OK, so they might well be illegal, but that doesn't stop much else.

[soup]

It was William McGregor of 'go green driving school' ask him why he prefers people to use every device

...And if the car you buy isn't the same as your learner vehicle and doesn't have a reversing camera [1], and you have 'done' all your learning staring into a video monitor which shows you 'out the back'?

Note I am NOT saying the rear view camera should be avoided it does help with seeing bollards, high kerbs, small children etc but it should not be relied upon .

[1] Admittedly getting rarer (I think it was 2016 they were mandated on all new cars). However the first (maybe first couple ) cars are likely to be cheap jalopies and not have cameras fitted.

[Broadback]

Thanks for the replies. However very few addressed the question. Which is the best camera, front or rear facing, also what make?

[Jane Black]

Both.

There never is a best with something like that.

[Andy Burns]

generally

Some dashcams also record the rear as well