X5 Reversing Camera At Night - RUBBISH

[masq]

Here's a thought -- wiring a couple LED lights to reverse lights, so that they can illuminate your rear view a bit more. Any thoughts on that?

[ard]

Originally Posted by JCL

To me, this illustrates the downside of rear view cameras. They are not designed to replace driver situational awareness and actually checking for obstacles, including children. It is like relying on a rear view mirror without doing a shoulder check. What if that child was just out of view of a perfectly functioning rear view camera?

If there is a risk that children are playing behind the vehicle I would suggest a walk around before reversing.

This.

Know what is behind the car- check to make sure there are no children when you start- which the camera will show you adequately at night, and then back up the way we've been backing up for 100 years.....

[motordavid]

+1 re: JCL & ard.
What did we all 'do' before all the 'gizmos'?

[rh71]

Originally Posted by ard

This.

Know what is behind the car- check to make sure there are no children when you start- which the camera will show you adequately at night, and then back up the way we've been backing up for 100 years.....

Except kids are short and the SUV is tall and you can't see down there out the rear window. Not even your own garbage can. If you rely on just turning around, you literally have to hope & pray past a certain point that nobody rolled/walked behind you from the opposite side you were looking even if had only been 2.5 seconds. Other than a camera, you can rely on the PDC beep going off if you inch out slowly.

With 2 kids of my own and a neighborhood full of kids on bikes, I can't just trust my elite backwards "driving skills". I never look at the backup camera but I do listen for the PDC beep. The backup camera is good for other reasons like parking.

BTW, I thought the new cameras with top view didn't have the nighttime problems we did initially. I still remember when contacting BMW about its uselessness - they basically said "well why didn't you test it before you bought the car", pretty much acknowledging they aren't doing anything about the problem. There's just so many things wrong with saying something like that to a customer.

[blondboinsd]

No shock here. My '07 camera was useless at night AND it took like an HOUR to turn on

[JCL]

Originally Posted by rh71

Except kids are short and the SUV is tall and you can't see down there out the rear window. Not even your own garbage can. If you rely on just turning around, you literally have to hope & pray past a certain point that nobody rolled/walked behind you from the opposite side you were looking even if had only been 2.5 seconds.

I think it is far better to do a walkaround before moving the vehicle, and ensure that there are not kids running and playing around the vehicle. Cameras can not be depended on. Kids move, they don't just stand there in the field of view. I just don't think that hoping and praying is a valid defense in the tragic case of running over a child. I think it is in fact an admission of gross liability. If there are kids playing, secure them. If backing up any distance, get out of the vehicle regularly and recheck, as I remember having to do to pass a commercial truck driver's license exam.

Interesting stats from kidsandcars.org on deaths of children from cars other than in traffic. From 2006 through 2010, they report that there were 448 fatal backovers involving children in the US. That is a terrible statistic. But during the same time, there were 358 fatal frontovers (their phrase). That is where a driver drove frontwards over a child, one right there in full view. No cameras required. What that tells me is that it is not so much a camera issue, as a driver inattention issue. I can't help but think that cameras, while seemingly a good idea, help promote a culture of hoping for the best, and relying on their field of view and associated proximity sensors instead of directly checking the path of travel.

/rant

Sorry the BMW camera isn't very good. I haven't ever noticed, as I won't have one on a vehicle I purchase if I have a choice. I have seen them on rentals.

[Price]

Originally Posted by JCL

..
But during the same time, there were 358 fatal frontovers (their phrase). That is where a driver drove frontwards over a child, one right there in full view. No cameras required. What that tells me is that it is not so much a camera issue, as a driver inattention issue.

I bet in many if not most cases it's the issue of tall front end/short kid, and front view cameras would actually help. Not discounting the "gotta pay attention at all times" statement, but you can't dismiss the sheer fact that unless you drive an aquarium, there're blind spots that block your vision no matter how much you swing you head and stretch your neck.

[Price]

And btw, I'm trully curious if there's a vehicle with stock rear view camera that provides a better picture @ night than a properly adjusted X5's. I've tested friend's new MDX the other day ... night, actually , and despite the bigger screen that seemed to work better, the camera offered far worse picture.
P.S. Acura's front LED headlights are awesome.

[rh71]

Originally Posted by JCL

I think it is far better to do a walkaround before moving the vehicle, and ensure that there are not kids running and playing around the vehicle.

I'm parked in the driveway - it's already a walkaround after I let them in the right rear and go around the back to get into the driver's seat. The bigger issue is other kids on bikes coming through. Kids everywhere here.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by JCL

Kids move, they don't just stand there in the field of view.

That is correct. And they do not stand still while you get back into the vehicle after the walkaround either, i.e., a camera gives real time data, a walkaround tells you how things were before you back-up, not while you are backing up.