In May 2018 the US Department of Transportation mandated rear-view cameras in all cars built after May 1, 2018. In announcing the new requirement, NHTSA cites an average of 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries from back-up accidents every year and notes that children under 5 years old account for 31 percent of the deaths.
The reason to prevail in the use of backup cameras lies in the belief that it will help reduce the chance of backup accidents. However, for the vehicles built before that, built-in backup cameras are usually in premium packages as optional equipment. It is not economic to upgrade to a brand new car to have this feature, many car owners decide to install an aftermarket backup camera that has the same functions like the factory backup cameras. Or buy a digital rearview mirror dash cam including the basic functions of a backup camera with other advanced features. So what are the pros and cons between a regular backup camera and a digital rearview mirror dash cam?
Backup Camera
Backup cameras are usually installed outside the vehicle, right above the license plate, so that it won’t be blocked by any cargo in the vehicle or get affected by the dirt on the back windshield. The video feed will be displayed on either an in-dash display or an external on-dash display. Many backup cameras not only provide video feed but also show moving guidelines that show you the trajectory of your vehicle. This particular feature is extremely helpful for beginner drivers. Some may even have an ultra sensor that alerts you when you are getting too close to an object behind your vehicle.
Digital rearview mirror dashcam
Beyond the basic backup camera functions, to expand the driver’s field of vision and ensure backup safety, digital rearview mirror dashcams have another attractive feature that backup cameras don’t have which is the recording ability. If backup cameras are designed to prevent you from damaging other vehicles and hurting people, digital rearview mirror dashcams also help to safeguard your own vehicle while you are gone, as well as protecting you from insurance scams in the event of a car accident dispute. Because the accident detection feature ensures that any event that happens either while you are driving or after your vehicle is parked will be recorded and locked so that you can have peace of mind driving without keeping an eye on your vehicle all the time.
