Some automakers tuck the cameras out of the way until they're needed, with an eye toward improving aerodynamics and design or to keep the lens clean. . . . . . . . . . .
As backup camera Northern NJ become ubiquitous, here's what you need to know about how they work, how effective they are, what car companies offer them and more:
Back-up camera systems will have to meet federal standards, but how they operate varies.
The button-size devices are positioned so drivers can see people or objects that are otherwise undetectable using a side or rear-view mirror or by glancing over their shoulder.
By several estimates, back-up cameras can help prevent accidents.
In one recent study, close to 57 percent of drivers in vehicles equipped with back-up cameras avoided backing over a stationary object that had been placed behind the vehicle when they weren't looking. Some research report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also found that three-quarters of drivers in vehicles with both backup cameras and audible sensors avoided a back-over accident.
By contrast, 100 percent of drivers in the IIHS study who were operating vehicles without back-up cameras or audible sensors ran over a child-size stationary object that had been surreptitiously placed behind them. When most vehicles on the road will have backup camera systems, the technology should save 58-69 lives a year. By that time, the agency estimates the total benefit from backup camera technology to preventing injuries, saving lives and avoiding property should be $265 million to $396 million a year.
Cameras can add big costs to new cars. But it's not really their fault.
Initially, backup cameras were part of optional bundles on vehicles' costlier trim levels. One reason was that systems needed an in-dash display to work, and those screens only came on the most expensive models. Another reason is that automakers know people like cameras, and so manufacturers have been attaching them to the highest trim levels. Adding an options package that includes rear-view technology can indeed tack on several thousand dollars to the sticker price.
Cameras are migrating to less expensive models and trim levels.
Once they're separated from other features, rear-view camera systems aren't that expensive perhaps in anticipation of the mandatory-equipment regulation, rear-view systems are migrating down from manufacturers' top models and trim levels.
Adding a back-up camera is fairly easily.
You don't need to buy a new car to get a back-up camera, though, or spend a lot to add one to an existing vehicle. Retailers sell aftermarket systems for less than $15 for a bottom-of-the-line stand-alone camera for vehicles that have existing in-dash displays. A complete setup with a camera, transmitter and display can run up to $300.Installing a back-up camera on an existing car isn't difficult. Some require only a screwdriver, while others require a drill to mount the camera into a rear bumper cover. Some aftermarket camera makers post videos on their Web sites to help DIYers with step-by-step set up instructions, and many auto parts retailers do installations.