Human stereo vision doesn't work at long distances, because of the geometry - the exact distance depends on how good your eyesight is, but somewhere around 18 feet [1] the brain starts using other cues because the difference between what your left and right eyes see is so minuscule.

This all happens unconsciously so you don't notice - but when you estimate the speed of a car 100 meters away, you actually start comparing its motion to the road markings, using your knowledge of about how big a car is, and so on.

So a bird's eye view doesn't really benefit from stereo vision. I suspect they like to put in those weird close-up shots to make the people paying $$$$ for 3D notice the 3D effect and feel they've got their money's worth.

[1] http://scecinfo.usc.edu/geowall/stereohow.html