NHTSA to require backup cameras on all vehicles

[TerryMason]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a regulation Monday requiring all vehicles, including new trucks and buses, to have rear-view visibility -- in effect, requiring backup cameras.

The rule applies to all vehicles with a gross weight rating up to 10,000 pounds -- from the smallest subcompact to commercial vans. It begins phasing in with 2016 models and takes full effect in May 2018.

<snip>

Under the new rule, all vehicles will have to come equipped with the ability for the driver to see a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. There are also requirements involving image size and other factors that pretty much ensure that rear-view cameras are the only solution that will work.

In a 2010 report, the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that each year 228 people die in light-vehicle backup incidents, with about 44% of them kids under age 5. The second most vulnerable group: adults over age 70.

Congress passed a law in 2007 act ordering the Transportation Department to have a rule in place by 2011 to require cameras or other backup warning devices on all new cars and light trucks. Until Monday, there have been multiple delays.

To try to break through, a coalition of car-safety advocates and parents sued the Obama administration in September. Two parents who accidentally backed their cars over their kids were the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York.

NHTSA to require backup cameras on all vehicles


How do you guys feel about this? I have one on my wife's Pilot, and never really use the thing.
It could get expensive if you fail inspection because the factory camera isn't working.

 

[eric m]

NHTSA to require backup cameras on all vehicles

How do you guys feel about this? I have one on my wife's Pilot, and never really use the thing.
It could get expensive if you fail inspection because the factory camera isn't working.

You can't regulate stupidity...other than making hooking up a trailer easier really what's the point? If you don't pay attention to your surroundings to the degree that you RUN OVER YOUR OWN CHILD a damn camera isn't going to help you...

 

[mud4feet]

228 people out of 300,000,000? And we're gonna HAVE to have them??.......C'mon, man!! What has this country come to?

 

[Utah_jeepster]

I can see it now....with your new car purchase. ...would you like to upgrade to a 1080 dpi camera and screen?

 

[wwch99tj]

228 people out of 300,000,000? And we're gonna HAVE to have them??.......C'mon, man!! What has this country come to?

This was my thoughts exactly...granted it may be a nice feature, I just don't think a requirement is necessary

 

[JPNinPA]

That is why they are called accidents. Enabling cameras opens the door to lay blame on manufacturers on limitations of the camera. Like hot coffee in your lap. It will be someone else's fault.


It's a catch 22 if they require cameras due to visibility requirement and not having eyes in the back of your head. You can't watch a screen while looking over your shoulder.
When taking a drivers test you are to verify all directions including blind spots of the mirrors by looking over your right shoulder. The camera simply doesn't do this. However having sensors with audible warnings to assist you and warn that you are close to colliding with an object is something different.



In some states it is instructed

When backing up , you should carefully check for children, pets,
and small objects before starting to back up, turn and look over
your right shoulder tolook behind you while you back up to
make sure you are seeing all of the traffic. Do not rely on your
rear view and/or side mirrors to back up. You cannot see a wide
enough view of traffic or hazards with your mirrors. Remember
to always back up slowly using your brake and clutch to control
your speed and avoid accidents. Backing around corners or
sharp curves should be avoided unless you have good visibility
in all directions.

 

[TerryMason]

However having sensors with audible warnings to assist you and warn that you are close to colliding with an object is something different.

I'm with you on this. I think a sound / buzzer inside the vehicle when something is behind you would be the way to go.

 

[JPNinPA]

A bigger impact could be made by optimizing devices for bad decisions. Like:

The number of people killed in distraction-affected crashes decreased slightly from 3,360 in 2011 to 3,328 in 2012. An estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, this was a nine percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011.

Every 2-hours, three people are killed in alcohol-related highway crashes. The consequences of drinking and driving are arrests, property damage, injuries, and thousands of deaths each year. An estimated 4 million U.S. adults reported driving under the influence of alcohol at least once in 2010yielding an estimated 112 million alcohol-impaired driving episodes. Men accounted for 81 percent of these incidents....

In 2010, alcohol was involved in 2,020 (or 47.2 percent) of pedestrian fatalities, 11,087 (or 39.9 percent) of vehicle occupant fatalities, 209 (or 33.8 percent) of pedal cyclist fatalities (as shown in Figure 2). Pedestrians are more vulnerable than highway vehicle occupants are. In addition, drivers involved in traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian fatalities had less than two-thirds the rate of alcohol involvement as did the pedestrians killed.5

Drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 crashes a year, resulting in 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths. As tragic as these numbers are, they only tell a portion of the story. It is widely recognized that drowsy driving is underreported as a cause of crashes. And this doesn't include incidents caused by driver inattention. NHTSA's programs to combat drowsy driving employs both educational and technological solutions. Education programs are directed toward specific subpopulations as well as the general driving public.