Over my way-too-long lifespan, I can't remember the number of times I've read stories about death and injury, usually to a child unseen by the driver, in which the catch-phrase was, "I didn't know I was in reverse," or, equally as dangerous, "I thought I was in reverse." In large airplanes, there are a myriad of bells, whistles or flashing lights to remind the pilot that something is going on that might have escaped her/his attention. I remember a particularly spectacular DC-9 crash in Detroit years ago where the pilots had disabled a warning system because it irritated them, forgot about it, and then tried to take off with their flaps up. Nobody walked away from that one. A great factor in a pilot making it all the way to retirement is having the humility to admit that anybody can make mistakes and doing everything possible to discover them. Warning systems aren't an insult to one's intelligence, just friendly reminders. The Prius, with a little shift lever always spring loaded to the same position, is different from other cars and we thus lose one common input as to what gear we are in, our right hand on the shifter. (American version.) The little beeper makes up for this new technology. In the month I've had this car, I've already had a time or two when I've misjudged what gear I was in. I know I should always look but we don't always do what we should. Thus, the warning. Just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. Unless somebody is planning on going to work in reverse, the few seconds of the beep should prove no great handicap. It might save a little kid someday and that is worth it to me.
I've turned mine off (after a year of driving), but my next major mod is to install a reverse sensor (I have a 2005 and therefore no camera). That'll beep, but the rate will change according to distance.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Jul 15 2006, 04:10 PM) [snapback]286865[/snapback]</div> +1. I don't mind the beeper at all. Who backs up for more then 30 seconds anyways?
I dont mind the beeper also.Just last week when a long freight train kept me waiting!i shut off the car and by mistake went into reverse when i restarted.That beeper saved me from hitting the car behind me.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Jul 15 2006, 01:20 PM) [snapback]286873[/snapback]</div> I didn't mind it either. I just got tired of the complaints from my wife and passengers every time I backed up.
I had mine off for the first year - and then the car did something that the beeper designed to prevent! Read my tale of woe! Rev Beep!
I turned off my reverse beep. But I am now looking at these: Reverse Beep alarms I am thinking of getting the one that speaks "This car is backing up" It was mentioned by Efusco in a referenced link and I came across the link. What do you guys think of them? Do you think it should beep outside or should it talk and say it is backing up?
The reverse beep doesn't bother me since it isn't on all that long at a time. It is a good reminder in the event I should have a senior moment. Wouldn't mind an outside noise for pedestrians who are not paying attention as long as it wasn't too loud or obnoxious.
Funny, I thought with all the energy spent on this forum devoted to silencing the beeper I would catch a lot of flame for this post. Things like, "You shouldn't be driving if you don't even know what gear you are in," or "I don't need no stinking beeper to tell me what's up." Yet the responses here are virtually 100% in favor of leaving it on. That's good news. Also, I was thinking that if I were ever in an accident where this might have helped, I'd look pretty stupid explaining to a judge how I had purposely disabled a system Toyota put in to prevent it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alnilam @ Jul 15 2006, 06:29 PM) [snapback]286919[/snapback]</div> Sorry to burst your beeping bubble but I have the reverse beep off and will soon do the same (when I get three hands) with the seatbeats. Too many things beeping cause me to ignore the beep entirely. I want only beeps that make up for my stupidity. As an example I still sometimes forget to push the park button after pulling into a parking space and sitting for a while. Nothing beeps then and I am always surprised when the car moves forward when I release the brake. I seem to always know when I am in reverse, it's forward that I have trouble with! :blink:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjam @ Jul 15 2006, 05:14 PM) [snapback]286943[/snapback]</div> disabled mine,, foergot it was in resverse,left the drievrs door open...rolled backwards...ooops, 2k damage...beep is back on
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Jul 15 2006, 07:28 PM) [snapback]287002[/snapback]</div> So far...... That's the spirit! (Is aviation or operating heavy equipment anywhere in your future?) Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!
When I first got my Prius 3 months ago, the reverse beeping annoyed me - I felt like a garbage truck backing up. But I've gotten used to it, and I won't disable it. There have been times it's been a help to me. I used to hate seatbelts and almost never wore them. (They often cut into my neck.) My last car had a light that flashed to warn me, but it didn't beep. My Prius seat belts are quite comfortable and I try to use them all the time. I sometimes forget and I'm glad it beeps at me - I just wish it did it sooner! I can forget and get about a block from my house before it starts beeping, and I have to pull over to put on the belt. From what I understand, the on-board computer keeps track of things. If I were in an accident it presumably could show whether or not I was using my seat belt. Rather than worrying that Big Brother is watching me, I take comfort from the idea that the computer could show I was wearing my seatbelt if someone said I wasn't.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alnilam @ Jul 15 2006, 02:50 PM) [snapback]286826[/snapback]</div> Correct, yes. Very much so.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alnilam @ Jul 15 2006, 09:55 PM) [snapback]287016[/snapback]</div> Torpedos, dang... that car has more features than I thought. How do I enable the torpedos? Remind me again, why (besides it's toyota default) leave on the reverse beep? The other 4 cars I've had in my life didn't beep when I was in reverse. If I leave them in reverse with the engine running, they would all take off in reverse. If I put them in reverse and go to pull out forward from my parking spot.... When I hit the gas, surprise, I'm going backwards... That never happened, but if I would have done it, that would have been the case. So, as far as I can tell, the Prius will behave the same as any car I've owned, and the same as any car on the planet in this regard. Why do I need to hear it beep when in reverse? The worst was when in a parking lot ( grocery store or something). In reverse, waiting for somebody to amble on by at about 2 steps per hour. Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep... Crazy... Unnecessary.. Oh yah, just shift back into park until the coast is clear... I'd say at that point, the beeping has caused a negative behavior change. Why not have some 'pleasant to hear' voice saying something. The car is in reverse, please be mindful of objects to the rear... perhaps a bit of a british or irish accent to make it fun...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Jul 16 2006, 08:08 AM) [snapback]287113[/snapback]</div> I agree. In every car I've owned, if you put it in reverse, son of a gun, it went backwards. Why have a beep when the gear you have selected is clearly visible on the dash, and if so equipped, the MFD shows that you're in reverse by displaying what's behind you. If anything, it's much easier in the Prius to tell the car is in reverse because of the back-up camera. If it came with something like a two-beep external warning for pedestrians, that would be ok with me. But personally, I find a non-stop internal beep telling me something I should already know to be extremely annoying, and I'm glad I turned it off. If I forget what gear I'm in - I'm the first to admit it could happen - it's not like I put the car in gear and mash down on the gas pedal, you know? Whether in drive or reverse (or neutral!), I ease up on the brake and can see right away if I'm going in the direction I want to go. I'm glad that Toyota is concerned enough about people not knowing what gear the car is in to have made the beeping the default setting. I'm even more glad that individuals may choose to turn off the beeping. And I wish there were some kind of OEM external beeping (that the owner could also control) to warn people outside the Prius - not inside - that the car is in reverse.
I've been driving for over 30 years and have never had a problem due to lack of a reverse beeper. Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't think of one reason why a reverse beeper is needed in the Prius but not in other cars. The engine is often off and silent in reverse, but it's often off in forward too. Safe driving requires that drivers be alert and focused when taking many different driving actions. Why is the car being in reverse singled out for special notification? Maybe once or twice I forgot the Prius or other cars were in reverse. But when coming off the brake, I usually don't stomp down on the gas pedal. As soon as I released any pressure off the brake, I realized I was in reverse and reapplied pressure without moving more than an inch or two, if at all. I found the never ending, loud reverse beeper extremely annoying. Many times I was in completely safe situations yet had to endure the annoying beep. It might be better if it was an intermittent beep. Did someone think Prius drivers are less aware or skilled than other drivers, and therefore needed special warnings? I was very happy when I learned it was possible to turn off the reverse (and seatbelt) beepers, and did so right away.
I believe the reverse beep is there because of the non conventional joystick gear selector which does not physically indicate the gear. Have you every been in extremely bright sun with your sunglasses on. the dash is not real easy to see. The reverse beep, even though annoying, makes the car safer. Why would anyone want to put themselves in a less safe situation for a couple of seconds of annoyance. The potential tradeoff is not worth it.
