All New Cars to Have Back Up Cameras Installed By 2018 – West Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyers, Car Accident Lawyer

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a proposed rule yesterday requiring all new light vehicles , to include cars, SUVs, trucks and vans , are to have some kind of “rear-view visibility systems,” basically they will need backup cameras installed in them.

The rule should be final by June 1st 2014 and will start phasing in on May 1, 2016 models and manufacturers must cover 100% of their production by May 1, 2018.

The ruling comes into play after outcries from many consumer groups in Florida and other US states. Families touched by these tragic back-over accidents, which seem to mainly involve younger children have pushed hard to get the new rules processed.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said earlier in a statement, “We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of back-over accidents — our children and seniors.”

Under the new ruling, all vehicles will have to be fitted with a rearview camera that would have to give drivers a view of an area 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind their vehicle. In a 2010 report, NHTSA said that each year an average of 210 people die and around 14,500 others are injured by light-vehicle backup accidents. Unfortunately, just over 30% of the deaths involve children under the age of 5, and 25% are adults over 70. With the new ruling NHTSA estimate over 60 lives, a year will be saved they also said that by 2054 all roadworthy vehicles should have backup cameras on board.

the majority of car manufacturers have gotten ahead of the new regulations by putting standard or optional cameras on new models as they are redesigned, even on their smallest, most economical cars. The cost per vehicle to equip the other vehicles is estimated to be between $132 to $142 for the complete system, alternatively, the cost to add a camera to a vehicle that already has an adequate display screen would be around $44.