Go Ahead and Back Out

For many drivers, pulling forward into a driveway or parking space seems normal. Most drivers don’t even think about what they’re doing. They are often copying what they have seen from their parents. However, backing is a risky maneuver that most drivers take for granted. Here are a few things drivers should consider when backing up.

Backing Out Disadvantages

When drivers back out of their driveways or parking spaces, they may sometimes have visual obstructions that can limit how much of the road they can see:

• There may be shrubs, trees blocking their view and snowbanks in the winter. 

• They often cross over a sidewalk or an area where pedestrians could be walking.

• There may be kids playing or cyclists riding nearby without watching for moving vehicles.

• Drivers can sometimes impede traffic on the road, which causes unnecessary delays.

Adding these visual obstructions for any driver is the fact that when you first get inside your vehicle, you are often not in the driving form yet. Your mind may still think about many other things you either have or will be experiencing later on that day. Considering that backing is one of the most dangerous things you can do with your vehicle, you do need your full attention on performing this task.

Back-Up Cameras

Some older vehicles and most newer vehicles are now equipped with a rear-facing camera, which is often referred to as the “back-up camera”. This camera can help drivers in seeing what is directly behind their vehicle. However, relying on this camera to be your main source of view while reversing can lead to drivers getting into more collisions. This is because they become too focused on using the camera rather than glancing in their mirrors or visually checking around the vehicle or over their shoulder while reversing.

If you’re thinking about the most advanced technology, think again. Even the most high-end back-up cameras on modern vehicles only provide a limited view to the rear of the vehicle. Generally speaking, with most of the back-up camera-equipped modern vehicles may have, an 80-degree arc of view using the device is all that the driver can view.

• From the 360-degree circle of view around your vehicle, that leaves a massive 280 degrees of view that is out of the camera’s sight.

• It is critical for drivers to not become lazy and depend on their back-up cameras for parking or backing up in general.

Understanding the Back-Up camera

Modern technology seems to be all around us. There can be multitudes of sensors in modern vehicles which help the driver remain safe while driving. Backup cameras can assist the driver with getting into those tight spaces such as parallel parking, backing into a driveway or backing into a parking stall. The key word there is assist. They can help the driver make good decisions while reversing. The reasons being, there are large blind areas around our vehicle, especially at the rear, which make it difficult for the driver to maneuver in small spaces. The backup camera, when used correctly, can make that difficult task so much easier.

Using your mirrors or looking over your shoulder out the rear window to back up toward another vehicle or small object, like a parking barrier, curb, or bumper of another vehicle, essentially seems like it’s mostly guesswork for many drivers. Knowing when to stop can come from experience or just the luck of the draw since drivers can’t see directly behind the vehicle.

Looking out the rear window while reserving is still a good idea and is highly recommended. It helps the driver get a good perspective of what they’re approaching through the peripheral or fringe vision. However, using a backup camera when you know you’re approaching close to that object can let the driver know when they’re close enough to stop the vehicle. It can save those little fender-benders and scuffs and scrapes which can be quite annoying and costly to repair.

Backup cameras have improved a lot since they first came onto the automotive market. Instead of having just a view straight out the rear of the vehicle, they can now have a wider scope to allow drivers to see more from the sides. This can help the driver get a better perspective of what they are approaching while reversing.

Alternative to backing

Because the vehicle has blind areas around the vehicle, with the largest being out the rear, whenever possible, avoid backing up. In a parking lot, it would be wise to find a double-parking space that can allow you to enter forward and pull through into the second space. This will allow you to have improved visibility both entering and exiting the parking space.

The main benefit of choosing to park in a parking lot this way is when you leave the parking space, you can see much better than if you pulled in and need to back out. Sitting in the driver’s seat means you are in the first third of the vehicle. Backing out may mean two-thirds of your vehicle must enter the aisle before you have clear visibility. Also, your passengers in the back seat may appreciate your decisions as they are not put into danger first.

Depending on the area you live in, backing into a driveway is not difficult nor dangerous, even on a busy street.  To do this, signal and pull over in advance of the driveway to encourage traffic to pass. Drive past the driveway, approximately one metre away, select reverse, look all around the vehicle and then back up smoothly while steering smoothly into the driveway.  This is easier and safer than backing out into traffic.

Conclusion

Like with most vehicle technology, the back-up camera should be used with proper seeing habits, such as looking over your shoulder behind you and making quick glances in your mirrors. The back-up camera is a tool that can help you drive better, but it should not replace the fact that if you avoided backing in the first place, the danger of a collisions with another vehicle, cyclist, or pedestrian would be reduced.