Don't ask me how she managed to hit the pole despite having a backup camera and proximity sensors, just glad it wasn't me
It's been my experience that the sensors don't always "see" everything.
For instance, I backed into a car in a parking lot. The edge of my rear bumper connected with the edge of the rear bumper on a friends car. He didn't find the damage to be worthy of a repair even though I practically begged him to let me pay for it. The edge of his bumper seemed to be in a sensor blind spot. There was no alert of any kind with the sensors engaged.
Leaning from this, much later I happened into a business that has it's mailbox post in the center of the parking lot toward the street. I made a mental note of where the box was as I pulled in and around it knowing I could forget about it after being in there a while.
With the box 12-15 ft almost directly behind me, there was NO warning of any kind that there was an object there. I backed out at one point with the box within 5-8 ft... no sensor alert.
There have been other instances with certain landscaping, guy wires and high curbs that the sensors don't "see."
Nothing takes the place of a visual check, right? I tend to be a very careful driver in tight spaces. Since the bumper incident, I don't rely on the sensors nearly as much as before.
I've also learned that I know where I can trust the sensors... in my garage for instance and usually parking near any high, wide wall or fence.
On a related note (sort of) the rain wiper sensors in my car freaked out on Saturday... the wipers came on a couple times with the light rain then suddenly started FLYING back and forth full speed. I turned the wipers off then back on and they performed normally the rest of the drive.
I realize this subject matter maybe for a different thread and my apologies if it should be. Thanks.