Rear carmera.s And Mirror

I got a funny feeling it is a legal requirement regardless

G'day newboy,

basically if the van is wider than the towing vehicle then yes mirrors are a legal requirement.

As yet a camera does not satisfy the requirement to be able to see the rear corners of the caravan "by reflection" as defined in the law.

I am sure some one will come along and describe it better than I can. I also know of a HWP officer who looks along the sides of vans and if he can not see mirrors you are pulled up.

frank

Cameras are a great thing...but as said earlier, they do not resolve light as reliably as a mirror...in certain light conditions they are completly useless.

The other thing with cameras is that they are not direct vision and their field of verw may be different to the eye...thus the perspecive is distorted .....this makes judging distance, angles and proportion a bit deceptive and unreliable.

I have a camera on the back of my ute and I use it and need it every day.....but there is no way I would rely on it alone....I want some big mirrors too.

cheers

While we are on mirrors, one of the most ridiculous ADR rules is the one concerning curved mirrors. You know, the ones that state a warning that vehicles are closer than you think. They give a wider view but destroy the distance perception.

It is my experience that passing vehicles most often "cut in front" too soon after passing as they think they are further away. This is often dangerous at 100kph or more.

I just couldn't get used to reversing with a trailer and have had both my mirrors replaced with straight mirror glass. Now the distance judgement is fine and the left hand wide angle is achieved with a cheap circular mirror stuck in a corner of the full mirror.
The right hand mirror doesn't need wide angle so that stays "straight", but distance wise, what you see is an accurate representation of distance, making reversing much easier.

If the requirment is to be able to see down the side of the van and see the trailing edge of the van and he can do that with the car mirrors why would extended mirrors be needed?

I can reverse a Van using mirrors no problems, but damned if I can reverse using the camera, after 30 years in trucks the camera just does not look right or transmit a good feeling to the steering wheel, anyhow It matters no more for me , I let the Qld rego run out as I really don't think my van will be going any where now.

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