Getting Used to Rear View Cameras
After you find rear view camera systems and have them installed on your vehicle, it is going to take you some time to get used to them. People who have not used these system before find them to be rather jarring. They can’t shake the feeling that they need to look back over their shoulder to check where they are going; just looking forward, at the screen in the dash, feels wrong. The result is that you will switch between trying to look at the dash and instinctively looking over your shoulder, which makes it very hard to back your car out of the driveway.
However, there are some tips that you can use to get used to this so that the camera is helpful. First off, you just need to clean it off any time that it rains or snows. If water sits on the lens, it is going to make the image blurry, which is why it is hard to trust it. Just walk around behind the car and wipe it off with your hand; you can use a rag or a towel if you want, but there is no need to actually clean it. Just pushing away any beaded water is going to be enough to give you a crisp, clear image on the dash screen.
Next, practice backing up when there is nothing around you – like another vehicle or a trailer – for you to run into. Just back through the open drive or the parking lot, using the camera. Since there is no risk of hitting anything even if you do make a mistake, you can relax and get used to trusting the camera to guide you. This is a good way to break your habit of always wanting to look back over your shoulder.
Finally, do not be afraid to go more slowly than you normally would when you are first adjusting to this new technology. Just take your time, getting used to how you need to turn the wheel and how it adjusts what you see on the screen, rather than through the window. If you spend a week restraining from looking out the window and slowly using the camera, you are going to get used to what it feels like, and your speed will gradually increase back to normal. Soon, you will be using it so much that you never think of looking over your shoulder.