Human evolution worked with the idea that eyes are more or less right at the front of your body. Maybe you’ve got a protruding nose, maybe a stomach, but we gauge distances with the assumption that where we are is more or less where our eyes are. So if our eyes aren’t about to hit a wall, we’re probably fine. The problem is that evolution didn’t prepare us for our technology. When we drive, we’re in vehicles that end at least a metre in front of where our eyes are, often more, and can end a long way behind us on the other end. Given the way that our depth perception plays into our spatial awareness, we can be pretty much hopeless when it comes to guessing those sorts of distances without a lot of practice, unless we have a tool like a reversing camera at your disposal.
At best, you underestimate the distance, and that leads to agonisingly slow edging forward and backward, taking an age to parallel park while you hold up traffic and feel the stress from everyone behind you. But much worse is when you overestimate, and back into the vehicle behind you, leaving a dent that you know is going to cost you.
Of course, all of this can be avoided with a reversing camera kit. The camera sits right at the back of your vehicle, so it gives you the perspective you need to be able to properly judge distances like you do with your eyes. In fact, a lot of things about a rear vision camera work like your normal vision does, like night vision and peripheral vision thanks to the wide-angle lens. Instead of relying on mirrors, and estimates about distances, keep yourself safe with a camera.
