Lorry drivers, do you prefer actual mirrors or cameras?
Posted by pixpix89@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 51 comments
Just driving down the M1 as a passenger and doing my usual car watching. Noticed that a lot of lorry’s now have cameras instead of actual wing mirrors. What do you prefer? Do you have less of a blind spot with the camera? My husband thinks it’ll be more of a generation thing with the younger generation preferring the cameras. TIA.
Buddy-Matt@reddit
Not a lorry driver, but my car has electronic wingmirrors. Im a techies, so when they were listen on the lease I was "That's cool!" And signed on the dotted line...
Generally, I'd say normal mirrors are better. They work better with peripheral vision, and you look at the mirror (vs a screen in the car which is roughly where you'dexpect, but just a little irritatingto the muscle memory. The mirrors on my car also sometimes suffer from getting steamed up, and the only option is to... wait...
That said, there are definitely advantages to the digital ones. They show overlays when reversing, and alerts when the car has detected a vehicle in the blind spot. There's a neat feature that, when reversing, they go into a wider view too. And a very unexpected benefit - everyone in the car sees the same thing because they dont rely on the reflection angle. Almost useless to the driver, but a few times we've passed something and my wife and kids get to see it in the wing mirror.
But theres something about even the high def display that doesn't work quite as naturally as a mirror, and I suspect I'll go back to an old fashioned glass+foil setup on my next car.
pixpix89@reddit (OP)
I did not know these were a thing in cars, learn something new everyday. Thanks for your detailed explanation. I don’t think I’d get a car with them though.
Rusty_M@reddit
A few models gave them. I have side cameras and the rear view mirror can switch between mirror and camera feed, which is a little rough to re-focus on.
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
My understanding is that the cameras fail on giving sterio vision. Because it's a flat screen you get no depth perception. Like you do in a mirror.
zero_iq@reddit
You also have to refocus on a screen at close distance, which leads to slower glances and potentially more tiring on the eyes.
Buddy-Matt@reddit
That tallies. Also the thing someone else said in another comment, where you have to focus on the screen
Amazing-Visual-2919@reddit
I want to know what happened to all the rags lorry drivers had hanging off their mirrors. Presumably to wipe them ?
Smallballs228282@reddit
I’ve recently joined a company that uses only cameras. I find it very difficult because of resolution, it’s just very shit quality, can’t see details as with normal mirrors. Also first thing that came to my mind when I drove with them for the first time, was if I can really trust them, is there a latency or can’t properly judge distance how far away is a the back of my trailer from cars\loading bays.
FormerStableGenius@reddit
Using a mirror, your eyes can stay focused on long distance. But every time your eyes glance from road ahead to camera screen, eyes have to switch to near vision, then back to far. So slightly slows everything down, adding to subconscious brain load and effort.
wbqqq@reddit
This. And screens are almost useless in your peripheral vision.
aembleton@reddit
Don't they have to focus on a screen regularly to check your speed?
Tennis_Proper@reddit
There's not a great need to constantly check speed with cruise control.
FormerStableGenius@reddit
Good point. But larger figures that can be seen more easily, and perhaps not needing sharp focus.
Educational_Worth906@reddit
Most of the time I am aware of the speed I am doing without looking. When I do occasionally glance at the speedo I’m usually within 2 or 3 mph and almost never over the limit. It’s much safer for me to be concentrating on what’s going on around me.
Jimeeh@reddit
Oh you sweet summer child you get behind the wheel of a large vehicle on some narrow towns and roads and you never even look at the speed you are already going under and watching parked cars hedges and narrowing kerbs.
aembleton@reddit
I've never driven anything larger than a mondeo. On country roads, you're right I'm not checking the speed, but most of my driving is on wider roads
ClassicPart@reddit
You should probably sort this out. You shouldn’t need to regularly focus on your dashboard to know what speed you’re going.
brasssica@reddit
Engineer here jumping in to add that the main reason for cameras is probably aerodynamics and fuel economy, not user preference.
Jimbo_7_@reddit
Cost is also a factor. Apparently a camera and screen is cheaper than a whole mirror assembly 🤷♂️
Left-Yak-1090@reddit
Mirror - move head, see more
Camera - move head, see same
ThePangolinofDread@reddit
Exactly!!!
Belle_TainSummer@reddit
I'll admit I am older, but I prefer actual wing mirrors. Except on IVECOs, because like everything else on an IVECO the wing mirrors are shit. Never had one with a camera, but I'd be willing to bet that it is shit on an IVECO too.
ThePangolinofDread@reddit
It Vibrates Everything Comes Off.
Can confirm IVECO camera mirrors are at the same standard as the rest of their kit...
ThePangolinofDread@reddit
Never had a mirror decide to turn itself off whilst performing an overtake, I've had that happen when I had the misfortune to have to drive a motor fitted with camera mirrors. Thankfully the reversing camera had a separate screen so I could turn that on and see when I was past the article I was overtaking.
Generally I found they aren't as good as mirrors for reversing and at night for judging distance and closing speed and I much prefer normal mirrors for being able to move your head to get a slightly different field of view.
Given the option I would always choose mirrors over camera.
AndyTheSane@reddit
What you need is a VR helmet hooked up to the cameras so that you can look in any direction as if the Lorry wasn't there.
Tonybham01@reddit
The new Polestar 4 has no rear window, so uses cameras.
CustardGannets@reddit
Definitely prefer the cameras. Less cleaning. Less chance to smash them up. Better visibility
PetersMapProject@reddit
Also way more expensive and difficult to fix when they go wrong.
Based on the tech and cars I've owned, the average lifespan of something like a camera is significantly shorter than car lifespan. Though my cars are currently an average of 30 years old :)
OvenCookie@reddit
Most modern mirrors have a bunch of tech on the the cameras don't need. Motors to move the mirror, heating element. Some mirrors have cameras in them.
Just cameras might be cheaper.
pixpix89@reddit (OP)
I was just going to say would they be more expensive to fix if they do get broken. But then if it does happen a lot less often I suppose it could balance out?
PetersMapProject@reddit
I've not yet had to replace a wing mirror despite having clunked a couple of them so my suspicion is they'll be both a more frequent and expensive repair job.
CustardGannets@reddit
Couldn't care less about the expense since I drive trucks and don't pay for repairs
Any_Mathematician411@reddit
I drive a new FH with cameras and I think they’re very good indeed. The ones on Daf XG are good, but I find the Volvo ones better. I can see so much more when reversing, and they have controls such as night mode and you can power them on when parked without switching on the ignition. They’re not perfect, but they don’t get covered in shit like mirrors do, and you won’t be dazzled by a prick with their full beams on behind you. I thought I’d hate them after using mirrors for over twenty years, but I find them so much better for any kind of maneuver. I’m a convert, 100 per cent.
veryblocky@reddit
I’ve never driven a car with these, but I’ve been a passenger several times. And as a passenger, it is nice to be able to actually see things in the mirrors.
ClassicPart@reddit
The mirrors are not for you, they’re for the driver.
veryblocky@reddit
You think I don’t know that? I’ve no idea if it’s better as a driver, but I thought it was worth sharing my experience experience with them anyway.
pixpix89@reddit (OP)
I think I’d like it as a passenger but not a driver.
CreativeAdeptness477@reddit
I don't drive lorries but I do drive box vans, so similar concept. We have mirrors and cameras on the doors. I'd hate if they decided to ditch the proper mirrors and relied on cameras only. The company can barely keep the vans running as it is, and when a reversing camera fails it's months before it gets fixed. In one case it was a year and three quarters. I don't trust the company or the repair contractors to keep it operational. With mirrors they always work. So far I've almost 30 years of muscle memory telling me to check my mirrors, and I'd still have to do that in my car. Remove mirrors altogether and it's an added distraction/delay before you remember it's on the TV screen in the opposite direction now. I've no objection to adding cameras, but removing physical mirrors is fucking dumb as all fuck from a driving perspective. The only benefit would be decreasing air resistance and thus increasing fuel economy. Frankly, ain't worth it.
KeepOnTrippinOn@reddit
We have class 1 drivers coming to my work daily and every single one who has cameras instead of mirrors dislikes them.
deltree000@reddit
Common complaint from drivers I heard was there was always a tiny bit of latency in the cameras, some brands worse than others.
sim-o@reddit
Mirrors. Always prefer mirrors.
Can adjust them to get rid of blindspots, the resultion of the image is far superior, so is the colour reproduction, you don't get LED lights flickering, better depth perception, less distortion, in the rain one drop doesn't bugger the whole image, the heater elements actually dry the lens and clear it (if it's working obviously, with the many cameras I've used hitting the heater button on all of them has done nothing. You don't need to keep turning them on to check if your bay light is green. You can communicate through them, because they're two way. You can also see if the driver you're overtaking is paying attention, seen you etc.
The advantage of cameras is you're less likely to hit the on a branch or something and you don't get dazzled by misaligned headlights behind you.
Some camera mirrors are better than others, and some aren't bad but actual mirrors are always better for me.
Pedantichrist@reddit
I have real mirrors on the side and a camera for a rear view mirror, such looks just like a rear view mirror.
I like the real ones. (Ambulance)
TheDawiWhisperer@reddit
I like mirrors with a blind spot warning light.
That said I was on a coach to a rugby game the other week and was amazed at the number of cameras it had. The driver could see everything
MIKBOO5@reddit
Sadly he couldn't. I've driven HGVs with cameras everywhere and its good, but in reality, when you're checking the final screen before you pull away, someone could have walked into the space that the first screen is covering. More liability falls on the driver for not looking in 700 places at once, rather than blaming the vehicle for having blindspots.
pixpix89@reddit (OP)
I don’t know if that would put me off more than help though? I mean great for the nosey passenger I am.
PetiteGump@reddit
Not a lorry driver but drive cars frequently that have a camera for rear view and I ALWAYS switch it back to normal mirror (a least they had the sense to give you the option to switch between). The depth perception with the camera is horrific. I can't judge how far the car behind me is. I dread to think what it is like to have wing mirrors as cameras 🫣
Dr_von_goosewing@reddit
I've only driven one with cameras instead of mirrors (mercedes) and I found reversing into tight spots was a lot harder to judge, but they were generally better in the dark and rain unless you got a raindrop right over the lens which was rare. I've heard from other drivers that the DAF ones are terrible though and can just randomly stop working. You'll never get that problem with an actual mirror so I'd always stick with them given the choice.
LockedinYou@reddit
Actual real mirrors for me.
The camera ones are awful in sunlight, dark, rain and all that and I found them difficult to get used to. One good thing about them is they do follow the back of the trailer round to a certain extent, so that comes in handy when reversing on the blind side
LieLevel7361@reddit
I was driving lorry with cameras few times and it's much better then I thought I would be but... Perspective is not there, it is much more difficult to use them reversing, also they are switching itself off after some time when you switch off lorry so you can't see what is around you when you are stationary. Like they say nothing before "but" matters. I ll stick with mirrors if I have a choice.
Civil-Fan-3586@reddit
For driving on a straight road the camera mirrors are great. For reversing and manoeuvring - I prefer standard mirrors.
AutoModerator@reddit
Please help keep AskUK welcoming!
When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.