Soon, all cars will have cameras, not only to keep up with technology but with road safety on top of mind as well.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the Department of Transportation in the U.S. will start requiring a rear visibility technology from all new vehicles less than 10,000 pounds, including trucks and buses, by May 2018. New vehicles mean those vehicles manufactured on or after May 1, 2018.
The new NHTSA rule aims to enhance vehicle safety by drastically minimizing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries due to back-over accidents.
"Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents - our children and seniors," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.
Data from the NHTSA reveals that back-over crashes bring about 210 deaths and 15,000 injuries on the average every year. It has also found that children below five years of age account for 31 percent of these fatalities, while adults 70 years old and older account for 26 percent.
"As a father, I can only imagine how heart wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today's rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents," Foxx also said.
The rear visibility technology will expand the field of view of the driver to enable him to detect areas behind the vehicle. This technology requires several things such as a 10-ft by 20-ft zone directly behind the vehicle, response time, linger time, image size, deactivation and durability.
"Rear visibility requirements will save lives, and will save many families from the heartache suffered after these tragic incidents occur. We're already recommending this kind of life-saving technology through our NCAP program and encouraging consumers to consider it when buying cars today," said NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman.
If all vehicle owners complete this requirement and install the technology in their vehicles, about 58 to 69 lives may be saved yearly.
This new rule by the NHTSA complements its early action implemented in 2013 that is to integrate rear visibility technology into the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The NCAP explains to consumers the vehicle brands and models equipped with the Recommended Advanced Technology Features of the NHTSA. The said features can assist drivers to prevent crashes and lessen other road safety risks.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, however, argued that consumers should have the right to choose their vehicle options.
"It's one of our most basic beliefs that consumers should be in the driver's seat when choosing which technologies they want to purchase, and what features are most important to them and their families," spokesman Wade Newton said.
The NHTSA took its time in finalizing the regulation to make sure of an accurate policy and a rule that's flexible and achievable by everyone. It also said that several companies have already installed rear visibility systems on their own because of demand from consumers.
Based on the automotive research firm Edmunds, the U.S. already has 44 percent of 2012 models installed with rear cameras standard, while 27 percent took them as options.
Honda and Acura will be among the first vehicle brands to offer back-up camera standard on all models in 2015.
Cost for each vehicle to complete the rearview camera is about $132 to $142. If the vehicle has an adequate display screen already, the rearview camera costs about $43 to $45.
