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Passenger Headrest Mounted Reverse Switch

To keep you from backing up like an idiot
 
(+3, -3)
  [vote for,
against]

A momentary pushbutton switch, mounted on the back of the passenger headrest, that must be held down in order for you to actually move backwards while the car is in reverse. For people who think it's a good idea to back up without looking where the hell they're going.
ytk, Jan 02 2013

In response to this: Reversing training LCD rear window
[ytk, Jan 02 2013]

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       But over here in the real wold - you don't need to face backwards to reverse. Hell, easy 1/3 of the time I've got something in the bed of my ute meaning I couldn't see out the rear window anyways - that's what mirror's and catseye's are for, and there's no substitute for getting out and having a peekaboo. Anyone who's ever driven a truck will be able to reverse with mirrors only.   

       Are you either saying a) you should not be allowed to reverse without turning around and facing backwards, or b) saying that some people just reverse, no mirrors, no looking, just back up and out of my way. If it's a) then I think maybe it's a little bit of c) which is - "I can't reverse safely without looking out the back window so you shouldn't be allowed to either".   

       If it's b), then [fsm] help us all, it's gotten worse than I thought.
Custardguts, Jan 02 2013
  

       It's for people like you.
ytk, Jan 02 2013
  

       Ah, well then I'll have to chime in. Have you ever backed up a horse trailer or a boat? Looking backwards is for novices that don't realize that there's a big honking trailer thingy blocking most of their view, those that prosper do so by situational awareness gained before getting into the vehicle, use of mirrors, and experience.   

       Well intended idea but not generally applicable.
normzone, Jan 02 2013
  

       You too. And for anyone who thinks that, because there are some instances where you can't see out the rear window, that you should /never/ look out the rear window.
ytk, Jan 02 2013
  

       Never say never. I often look out the rear window by placing my arm across the seats, as I was trained by my mother to do.   

       And as she never addressed, I often back around using only my three mirrors.   

       Where do you live? I'll race you backwards around the course of your choosing.
normzone, Jan 02 2013
  

       See the linked idea by [8th], wherein he posited that one should never look out the rear window when backing up, and described a means to prevent one from doing so. This idea is a tongue-in-cheek response to that one.   

       I can't believe it was really necessary to explain that.
ytk, Jan 02 2013
  

       Ah...from the help file...   

       "Tongue-In-Cheek   

       When someone... posts an invention intended not to be taken seriously, there are two groups of reactions from the audience:   

       Users make funny remarks, or suggest modifications to the invention also intended as humor, or remark on how funny the invention is, or vote for it.   

       Users vote against it, point out that it's not funny, or simply ignore the humor and criticise the invention ... In the first case, the invention was funny. Good job.   

       In the second case, the invention was not funny. Not because people didn't understand that it was intended as a joke - they usually pick this up very quickly - but because the joke didn't work."   

       Your mileage and ability to believe may vary. You should probably have offered to meet me on the field of honor facing backwards from each other in automobiles, with seconds, and then I would have figured it out.
normzone, Jan 02 2013
  

       // one should never look out the rear window when backing up, and described a means to prevent one from doing so //   

       It is clearly described as a "training aid". It is not intended for experienced drivers, who indeed should look round and out of the back window as a safety check. It is intended for beginners, to ensure that they do in fact learn to reverse correctly using the mirrors alone.
8th of 7, Jan 02 2013
  

       // one should never look out the rear window when backing up, and described a means to prevent one from doing so //   

       It is clearly described as a "training aid". It is not intended for experienced drivers, who indeed should look round and out of the back window as a safety check. It is intended for beginners, to ensure that they do in fact learn to reverse correctly using the mirrors alone.
8th of 7, Jan 02 2013
  

       Gentlemen, gentlemen, please...I think all of us can agree that it is a good idea to turn around and look through the back window if available and unobscured, and that it is also a good idea to be capable of reversing using only mirrors when the rear window is obscured or not there, and that anybody who does not agree with both statements is clearly an idiot.   

       [norm]: Nürburgring, 1976 Porsche 911, your choice of targa or coupe.
Alterother, Jan 02 2013
  

       Why do you think I chose it? Contrary to popular belief, I sometimes stop to think about things.   

       Also, I happen to have a '76 targa and a '76 coupe sitting in my back yard. Both of them are under three feet of snow and would require a great deal of wrench work to make them ready to run the 'Ring, but point being that they're available and mechanically identical. All we'd have to do is spend several weeks fixing them up and somehow transport them to Germany, and hey presto! Reverse race challenge!
Alterother, Jan 02 2013
  

       That makes sense. But since you chose the cars, I get to choose the time and place.   

       How about March 11, 2011, 14:46 JST, in Miyako, Japan. That should be some incentive for maneuvering.
normzone, Jan 02 2013
  

       Last one to the finish line gets irradiated? You're on, pal!
Alterother, Jan 02 2013
  

       //You too. And for anyone who thinks that, because there are some instances where you can't see out the rear window, that you should /never/ look out the rear window. //   

       Yes, but that's not what your invention says. Your invention says "that must be held down in order for you to actually move backwards while the car is in reverse". In other words - you're forcing people to look out the back window. I'll also contend that even if you are looking out the back window, you should be scanning the mirrors as well, because you likely can't see down beside the rear tires while looking out the back.   

       I fit catseyes mirrors to every vehicle I own, passenger car or truck.
Custardguts, Jan 02 2013
  

       Does this button somehow shift a manual transmission into reverse for you? Or is this only for automatic transmissions? People that drive automatics that are not handicapped might want a button to make driving even more mindless.   

       I loathe automatics and people that consider them a hassle in heavy traffic. Its really not that hard to drive a manual in adverse conditions. Save money, gas, weight and complex transmission problems, drive a 5 speed.
evilpenguin, Jan 02 2013
  

       No, it just cuts power to the engine unless the button is depressed while the car is in reverse.
ytk, Jan 02 2013
  

       Just wire it into the R-N safety switch. No need to cut power when you can simply cut the drivetrain. Only works with automatics, of course.
Alterother, Jan 02 2013
  

       If the button is depressed what about therapy or medication?
normzone, Jan 02 2013
  

       // Save money, gas, weight and complex transmission problems, drive a 5 speed. //   

       Cost money, gas, weight and complex transmission problems, but avoid the need for roads; drive a 16-speed.   

       (Land Rover Series III with overdrive)
8th of 7, Jan 02 2013
  

       I'd always assumed the Borg had made alternative arrangements for transport.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 02 2013
  

       I was just thinking, there is a automatic I would drive. Any sports car with a dual-clutch transmission. Shifting it with paddle shift buttons of course.
evilpenguin, Jan 02 2013
  


 

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