Nowadays cars come from the factory equipped with more and more technology. Dealers proudly highlight features like backup cameras which claim to make your car safer, but what about a car equipped with a night view camera? Is this kind of technology something that actually makes your car safer? Or is it a “safety feature” that just adds another layer of potential distractions to the road?
What Is a Car Night Vision Camera?
Mercedes-Benz has offered Night View Assist for over a decade and a half. This feature uses “infrared beams and a special camera” to give its drivers “a real-time view of the dark road ahead.” The company website explains that the system “can point out and shine the headlamps toward pedestrians it detects.” The site also explains that “unlike thermal systems, it can sense cold objects, too.”
The Mercedes-Benz site explains that the system can “detect pedestrians at a range of up to 80 metres,” whereupon “the captured image is sent to a display in the instrument cluster… as soon as the system detects any pedestrians in front of the car, they are highlighted in the display by the Active Night View Assist Plus.”
What Cars Have Night Vision Cameras?
According to Kelley Blue Book, in addition to the Night View Assistance PLUS feature that Mercedes-Benz offers “on all models with Intelligent Drive,” the following auto manufacturers sell some vehicles with some type of night vision camera:
- Toyota
- Lexus
- BMW
- Bentley
- Cadillac
- Maybach
If you want this type of system but aren’t in a position to buy a high-end luxury vehicle equipped with one, you can also purchase after-market night vision dash cameras for your vehicle.
Does a Night Vision Camera Make Your Car Safer?
Any new technology will take some getting used to, so your feelings about whether or not you’re safer driving a car with a night vision camera may depend heavily on your preferences and previous experience with new vehicle safety technology.
Kelley Blue Book argues that these cameras are only sometimes worth it—that is, they only sometimes offer enough benefits to offset the cost that they add to the vehicle. The site argues that “while promising accident reduction, its value depends on the climate and weather conditions, driving habits, and budget.”
While the technology can detect stationary hazards, pedestrians, and other living creatures, Kelley Blue Book cautions that it has limitations. Thermal systems “may have difficulty ‘seeing’ inanimate objects that don’t emit heat, such as road barriers or debris.” The site also warns that “ambient temperatures in warmer climates can affect the thermal readings.”
Infrared systems also have their shortcomings. They circumvent thermal system limitations, but “inclement weather can present a problem for active night vision systems, which rely on infrared illumination.” If you live somewhere where “snow, rainstorms, or fog is commonplace,” you may run into issues if you solely rely on it.
Ultimately, it comes down to the environment you drive in and how much assistance you expect your vehicle to give you while driving. If you rely solely on a car night view camera to navigate while driving in the dark, you may still run into problems. But if you’re aware of your system’s limitations and use it as one of many tools, you may find that it does make night driving a safer experience.
Source
- New Spotlight Function for Active Night View Assist Plus, Mercedes-Benz Media Newsroom USA, 2010.
- Safety, Mercedes-Benz Media Newsroom USA.
- Night Vision in a Vehicle: Is It Worth It?, Kelley Blue Book, 2025.
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