What are Parking Sensors?

What are Parking Sensors?

Parking Sensors are mounted in the front and/or rear car bumper. Parking sensors detect obstacles when you’re maneuvering at slow speeds, like parking for example. This is usually accompanied by beeping sounds which become closer together or louder the nearer you get to the object until you are so close a solid sound and flashing red bars mean impact is imminent.

A lot of cars I drive come with rear parking sensors that work alongside a rearview camera. Usually, the media screen has a display of the rearview camera and next to it the sensors graphic of the vehicle with encroaching bars of warning going from green to red as you get closer to the object, or the or drivers display has the sensor visual. In some cars, you can mute the beeping sounds and keep the camera and sensor visuals and in others you can't.

How do parking sensors work?

Parking sensors can detect objects in front or behind your car while parking, using ultrasonic sensors located in the front and back bumpers. The rear sensors can normally detect objects much further away than the front sensors.

What are the pros and cons of parking sensors?

The pros of parking sensors are of course they are a wonderful safety feature, they not only can help you position your car when parking and maneuvering help you not to bump into other cars or posts but also many accidents are caused by people reversing into children they can't see at low heights and parking sensors could help to prevent this.

The cons…I just can’t stand the noise! In many cars, it is just another beeeeping noise to add to the cacophony!! To me the sensor noise is like the boy who cried wolf, we hear the beeeeping noises soooo often for every tree branch, leaf, letterbox two metres away that actually we begin to ignore the sound and there is no differentiation between a leaf and a person.

I struggle a little actually A LOT with the sound of parking sensors! It is something I rant about in most of my reviews (and I try to tone it down believe it or not!!) There is something about the ‘beeeeeeeeping’ when I am trying to concentrate that drives me insane!! (pardon the pun!!)

I think in a BabyDrive sense I have had soooo many instances of Tulsi being asleep or momentarily content in the car and the sensors blaring out have disturbed her and she has started screaming again, that I am mentally scarred for life!!

Do I need parking sensors in my new family car?

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it means my baby stays asleep!!

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centres, school drop offs etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or maneuvering in the car parks I have to triple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras and sensors, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

Being able to mute the sound and keep the graphic is important I think, I come across so many cars systems that you can not mute, or if you do it turns the visual aid off too. If your baby has fallen asleep in the car and you want to park you need to be able to press a mute button but keep the visuals so it doesn't wake your baby!