Camera monitor systems (CMS) can be used in motor vehicles to display the rear view for drivers on one or more monitors in the vehicle interior. Among other things, this offers the possibility of replacing conventional rear-view mirrors with suitable CMS. From a technical point of view, it is thus possible to display the traffic information behind at any position in the driver's field of vision on a CMS.

On demand of the Federal Highway Research Institute BASt we conducted different psychophysical investigations. Among other things, we wanted to clarify the question of whether drivers can perceive their surroundings just as accurately and quickly with a CMS as with a conventional side-view mirrors. We also investigated whether driving behavior could be negatively influenced by the use of CMS, e.g., by fewer shoulder glances or reduced all-round visibility. For this purpose, we conducted various driving tests with our eye-tracking system in real driving environments (highway, country road, city) and tested them empirically. We conducted tests at high differential speeds on a closed-off site (airport runway) to investigate distance and speed perception in comparison to the rear-view and side-view mirror. Finally, we derived possible requirements for a future CMS from these investigations.