ADUK Archive

trashbat wrote:I confess that I sometimes (often?) do this.

It's not what I was taught to do, but view through the rear of my car is poor, and I feel I can maintain better situational awareness by scanning mirrors. As ever, I try and fit my behaviour to the context, so I wouldn't do it in a busy supermarket car park for instance.

I now have a car with a reversing camera

PeterE wrote:

trashbat wrote:I confess that I sometimes (often?) do this.

It's not what I was taught to do, but view through the rear of my car is poor, and I feel I can maintain better situational awareness by scanning mirrors. As ever, I try and fit my behaviour to the context, so I wouldn't do it in a busy supermarket car park for instance.

I now have a car with a reversing camera

So do I. It increases the number of places to look! I am pleasantly surprised by the clear and complete view even in the dark, but unpleasantly surprised by the extent and speed to which it gets wet and dirty, with an adverse effect on vision.

waremark wrote:

TR4ffic wrote:

TripleS wrote:...the only downside being less convenient access to the boot.

...as frequently noted by Mrs. TR4ffic ...but I'm driving so get the casting vote.

But don't you worry about the side of the car being scratched by the supermarket trolley? And if you have a hatchback, how far out do you have to stop to be able to open it backwards and load it from behind?

I reverse in by default, but not if I am going to bring back a supermarket trolley. I always worry about my doors; I like to park at the end of a row where only one side of the car will be vulnerable.

If we have reversed into the bay, we only have to worry about our trolley, and we're careful with that so it's OK. Almost invariably other cars will be parked nose in, so their trolleys don't need to be taken into the space between the cars. At any rate, I comfort myself with that belief.

waremark wrote:

PeterE wrote:

trashbat wrote:I confess that I sometimes (often?) do this.

It's not what I was taught to do, but view through the rear of my car is poor, and I feel I can maintain better situational awareness by scanning mirrors. As ever, I try and fit my behaviour to the context, so I wouldn't do it in a busy supermarket car park for instance.

I now have a car with a reversing camera

So do I. It increases the number of places to look! I am pleasantly surprised by the clear and complete view even in the dark, but unpleasantly surprised by the extent and speed to which it gets wet and dirty, with an adverse effect on vision.

You mean it doesn't have high pressure water jets to clean it?

Goodness me, Mark, you'll have to stop buying these cheap cars.

BTW, does anybody else feel that the illumination given by the reversing lights on some cars is now less good than it used to be on cars of, er, umpteen years ago? For reversing purposes, are they supposed to be for the driver's benefit, or are they now provided largely as an indication to others that the vehicle is about to do some reversing?

....and another thing: early versions of the Pug 406 used to have rear light assemblies with red lenses for the tail lights and brake lights, amber lenses for the direction indicators, and colourless lenses for the reversing lights. That seemed to me a sensible arrangement and it was how things used to be done, on most cars anyhow, but on our 406 (a June 2000 model) all the rear lenses are red, and the direction indicators have bulbs with an amber coating on them (which eventually wears off!). This means that although the tail lights, brake lights and direction indicators all show correct colours, I suspect that the effectiveness of the reversing lights is diminished by the light having to pass through red lenses. Certainly they don't seem very bright; maybe like me.

....and (yet) another thing (you'll get tired of this shortly ): in order to give decent coverage for reversing purposes at night, cars should have twin reversing lights, one at each rear corner. I don't like this cheapo system of having a single reversing light at the left rear, and a single fog lamp at the right rear, which is what we seem to have on many cars at the lower end of the price range.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

TripleS wrote:BTW, does anybody else feel that the illumination given by the reversing lights on some cars is now less good than it used to be on cars of, er, umpteen years ago?

Yes, I'm sure they used to be brighter.

I use my mirrors when reversing as I find that I can actually see more in my mirrors than I can looking over my left shoulder due to not being as supple as I was a few years ago. Also the large pillars in modern cars restrict vision. However, I teach pupils to look mainly in the direction of travel but to also use the mirrors to cover the areas that they can't see when looking over their shoulder.

fungus wrote:I use my mirrors when reversing as I find that I can actually see more in my mirrors than I can looking over my left shoulder

Me too.

I've never understood why 'best practice' is to look over your shoulder; can anyone explain why?

I thought the purpose of shoulder checks is for pedestrians heading for the space you are about to reverse into from the sides rather than behind.

Reversing by ear works also.

waremark wrote:But don't you worry about the side of the car being scratched by the supermarket trolley? And if you have a hatchback, how far out do you have to stop to be able to open it backwards and load it from behind?

Well personally I don't allow the trolley to contact the car, so no I don't worry about scratching the side. I have never experienced any difficulty getting to the boot either, on the very rare cases i cannot get the trolley round I carry the bags.

I let her get in once i've moved the car out of the bay.

fungus wrote:

TripleS wrote:BTW, does anybody else feel that the illumination given by the reversing lights on some cars is now less good than it used to be on cars of, er, umpteen years ago?

Yes, I'm sure they used to be brighter.

I use my mirrors when reversing as I find that I can actually see more in my mirrors than I can looking over my left shoulder due to not being as supple as I was a few years ago. Also the large pillars in modern cars restrict vision. However, I teach pupils to look mainly in the direction of travel but to also use the mirrors to cover the areas that they can't see when looking over their shoulder.

I'm not aware that the wattage on modern reversing lights is less than it used to be, but I do think they are placed and directed less effectively these days, and of course there is still the point about them having colourless lenses, which they should have: at least I think so.

What is this 'walk' of which you speak? My people have no word for this 'walk' of yours...

Driving my Land Rover forwards into a space is rarely possible, so that's when people will try to scurry past while i'm reversing. This is also one occasion when having factory tinted rear windows doesn't help with communicating with/ gesticulating wildly at others.

Some years ago, I brought back a device from India which played a tune when reverse gear was engaged but had to remove it for an MoT. I think it was more to do with the curious lack of musical taste of the MoT guy than much else. My neighbours loved it and would wave frantically from their bedroom windows, through sheer joy when I would come home late from work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWlT3XxIt6k

There's always the Health and Safety Warning dance music to aid the progress of pedestrians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8cwdi3ctdA

Why aren't such devices and the excellent practice of writing safety slogans on rear bumpers mandatory?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKBR9wtC0aI/Tux2gyxQ1sI/AAAAAAAAAhg/5tsjC4RmvqQ/s1600/truck.jpg

Zebedee wrote:

fungus wrote:I use my mirrors when reversing as I find that I can actually see more in my mirrors than I can looking over my left shoulder

Me too.

I've never understood why 'best practice' is to look over your shoulder; can anyone explain why?

Although I am probably guilty of reversing mostly on mirrors ...
Truer/fuller picture from one source/direction rather than from two mirrors/places?
Door mirrors give a false view of what, where and how far because of their convexity?

Ralge wrote:

Zebedee wrote:

fungus wrote:I use my mirrors when reversing as I find that I can actually see more in my mirrors than I can looking over my left shoulder

Me too.

I've never understood why 'best practice' is to look over your shoulder; can anyone explain why?

Although I am probably guilty of reversing mostly on mirrors ...
Truer/fuller picture from one source/direction rather than from two mirrors/places?
Door mirrors give a false view of what, where and how far because of their convexity?

I find that I have to turn so far in my seat to see out of the rear screen, that I find it awkward. It also strains the eyes, as I am looking out of the corner of the eye to see fully out of the screen.

'so that's when people will try to scurry past while i'm reversing. This is also one occasion when having factory tinted rear windows doesn't help with communicating'

Interesting attitude? If you are parking in shall we say a supermarket or some such do you not regard the pedestrian as having priority? Not a criticism but more a question.
Regarding the tinted rear windows are I could not agree more and a car I drive has them; a complete and utter nuisance and especially in tunnels or at night.

sussex2 wrote:Interesting attitude? If you are parking in shall we say a supermarket or some such do you not regard the pedestrian as having priority? Not a criticism but more a question.

Yes, I do give priopity to pedestrians, but I find that I can see more using mirrors. That's not to say that I neglect to check around. However, as a pedestrian, if I see a vehicle reversing, I stop and wait for my own safety.