Car Accident Camera Law

Car Accident Camera Law:  NHTSA will require backup cameras on all new vehicles

To reduce the risk of devastating “backover crashes” involving vulnerable populations which include very young children, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued a final rule requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents when a vehicle is in reverse.

Anthony Foxx, the United States Transportation Secretary stated that “Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents — our children and seniors.  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.”

The final rule mandates that all vehicles under 10,000 pounds and manufactured after May 1, 2018 must be built with rear visibility technology.  The new rule mandates that all vehicles would have to give the driver a view 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. There are also requirements for image size and other factors that leave rear-view cameras as the only solution that complies with the new rule.

David Friedman, Acting Administrator of the NHTSA, stated that “rear visibility requirements will save lives, and will save many families from the heartache suffered after these tragic incidents occur. We are already recommending this kind of life-saving technology through our NCAP program and encouraging consumers to consider it when buying cars today.”

It is estimated that backover crashes amount to 15,000 injuries per year with 210 fatalities last year.  Children under 5 years old are the most susceptible, accounting for 31% of backover fatalities each year on average.  Because of this, many people are thrilled to see the implementation of backover cameras in new cars.

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