United States mandating backup cameras starting in 2018
(Image: Jeff Wilcox, Flickr Creative Commons)
Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 12:31 PM -
It can turn a routine trip into a nightmare before you even leave your driveway. You go to reverse but you don’t notice the person standing behind your vehicle. It’s what officials call a backover accident, and legislation is moving forward to help prevent these in the future.
Every year, 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries are caused by backover accidents in the United States. We all know to keep an eye out for kids darting behind our vehicles. Children under five still form the largest percentage of victims. However, seniors over 70 now account for 26% of these accidents.
The obvious answer would be to just learn to use your mirrors. However, as vehicles have gotten larger over the years, this isn't always the easiest answer. High tail gates and larger blind spots can easily hide a person. Especially a child.
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In response, the National Highway Traffic Safety administration (NHTSA) is mandating backup cameras for new vehicles sold in the US starting in 2018.
These cameras have been an option in most vehicles for some time now. They’re mounted on the tailgate, and display up to a 180 degree rear view on a dashboard monitor. This makes it easy to spot any objects that might be in the way. Consumer demand has been growing and more vehicles are coming with them installed.
The new law will require them to be installed on most new vehicles under 10,000lbs (4,500kg). This includes traditional passenger vehicles, as well as trucks and buses.
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The decisions is not without controversy. It’s hard to dispute they’re a handy tool and will improve safety, but there are questions as to whether the costs will be worthwhile.
The NHTSA estimates, the total cost to install the cameras on every single new vehicle amounts to roughly $620 million per year. They estimate that this will prevent 58 to 69 deaths annually, working out to between $15 million and $26 million per life saved.
Critics point out that the price tag is high for a relatively low number of incidents. Backup fatalities only account for about 0.6% of all motor vehicle deaths in the United States each year.
Whether Transport Canada decides to follow the NHTSA’s lead is yet to be seen. Despite the seemingly high cost, it’s not a major expense to those ultimately buying the vehicle. Nor are they required for older vehicles before the 2018 model year. Even if you dispute whether it improves safety in a meaningful way, it does at least make reversing easier. It’s something to consider before making your next vehicle purchase. You might just save a life.
