i agree. the more digitized we get it seems the dumber the population gets.

Maybe so but these features also make people lazy. Someone who shoulder checks and physically looks out there windows before backing up or turning is also going to notice something that they wouldn't if they solely depended on these cameras.

That right there is the truth.

gee, imagine that ! what will we, as a society, do if something jacks up our electronic gadgets [possible act of war ?] and NOTHING works ?
huh !
i have cars with point ignition plus i own mechanical can openers and a stove with a pilot light.
however, i probably won't be able to heat and cook on the stove because i won't be getting any natural gas from the gas company.
also, i won't be driving because the gas station doesn't have any hand crank pumps for their tanks.

a double edged sword for sure it is.

And yet, here we are discussing it by a means that was almost unimaginable when we were teenagers.

If you use it as a Tool and Not as a Way-Of-Life, it works fine.
Just that it shouldn't "Consume" your Life, But "Enhance"it.

Backing up is usually at low speed, likely means you are not following anther vehicle, and means you have to decide if looking where you are headed is the best and safest solution.
I don't consider backing up and back cameras part of the side mirror replacement decision discussion here.

Furthermore, backup cameras can be located with better multiple views then any mirrors, and any driver attempted over the shoulder attempts.

The comment this thread is not about vehicles pulling doesn't square, in that some how using mirrors only is unsafe in cars, but pulling a trailer it is safe?

Such as a camera that has a broader range of vision than a mirror.

Should there be mandated mounting points for an old fashioned side view mirror on newer camera equipped vehicles?

How cheap would the entire camera/ view screen have to become to make repair a non-issue ... $200 or less.

My past experiments folding back the side view mirrors on a 1995 Ram lead me to believe that they reduce MPG by about 1 at 70 mph. Years later the software program Fuel Economy Calculator by Performance Trends Inc. seemed to confirm this was in the ballpark.

Nissan more recently has gone about 4 feet in front of their side mirrors and made a “flow modifier” to reduce the drag of the side view mirrors. One Nissan flow modifier was molded into the front headlight.. I suspect this does not work if there is more than a 10 mph side wind.

remember discussing Dick Tracy's wrist watch TV ?

Backing out of a parking spot or driveway onto a road you get a wider view of what's coming at you doing a shoulder check then what the camera picks up. They (backup cameras) are great for seeing what's below the mirror line or getting in/out of tight spaces. I'd consider it the same sort of deal as side mirror replacement and it came up within the first few posts.