Department of Transportation Makes Rear View Cameras Mandatory

An anonymous reader writes "The Department of Transportation issued a new rule (PDF) on Monday requiring car manufacturers to include rearview cameras in all cars manufactured after May 1, 2018. The rule applies to all cars weighing less than 10,000 pounds, including buses and trucks, but does not include motorcycles and trailers. '[The cameras] must give drivers a field of vision measuring at least 10 by 20 feet directly behind the vehicle. The system must also meet other requirements including dashboard image size, lighting conditions and display time.' An estimated 13 to 15 deaths and 1,125 injuries may be prevented with the implementation of this new requirement."

Comments

Re:Grabs popcorn

[Ol Olsoc]

Aftermarket cams are pretty inexpensive, between 70 -100 dollars.

That's the silly part of the whole argument. Backup cams are so cheap, and everyone I know - myself included, just love the things once they have tried them. Just knowing what is below and behind you when you are backing up is wonderful. Arguing against them is like arguing in favor of ignorance. I liken it to the difference between gauges and idiot lights. The Gauges tell me when something is starting to go wrong, and when I can do something about it - just like the backup camera shows me there is something there that I don't want to hit. The idiot lights on the other hand only tell you when you are already in trouble, just like that disconcerting thump when you run over something while backing up.