A backup camera is a video camera on the rear of an automobile, connected to a monitor in the driver’s view. While the vehicle is in reverse gear, the backup camera sends real-time footage to the monitor, enabling drivers to see behind the car without facing backward. The camera provides as much as a 180-degree field of view, which helps drivers to see not only people, animals, and objects behind but also those approaching nearby. This device is sometimes called a “rearview camera.” Backup cameras can be factory-installed as in-dash units or embedded in the rearview mirror or they can be aftermarket units attached to the dash, windshield, or other location. Similarly, cameras are embedded in the exterior of the vehicle or attached inside or outside in aftermarket applications. See also Rearview Mirror.
