Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

NHTSA ready to submit rearview camera mandate to Congress

About 100 children and over 200 adults die every year because drivers accidentally back over them. It's a sad statistic that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration feels can be prevented if all new vehicles come standard with backup cameras.

The New York Times reports that NHTSA plans to announce this week that rearview cameras will be mandatory on all vehicles by 2014. The compulsory cameras and interface for viewing what the camera sees is estimated to set new car buyers back an additional $160 to $200, but the government feels the cost is worth it if it prevents some of the 17,000 Americans that are harmed in backup accidents every year.

Clarence Ditlow, director for the Washington-based Center for Auto Safety, tells The New York Times that while the government acknowledges that in terms of pure numbers, the cost of the program is high and the amount of lives saved is small compared to some other safety implementations. But those numbers look a lot more doable when considering how devastating roll-over deaths are to families. "When you have a parent that kills a child in an incident that's utterly avoidable, they don't ever forget it."

What do you think, should rearview cameras become legally required?

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/29/n...e-to-congress/

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

YES... this is very good.

It will help all of those horrible parallel parkers

Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

Only 100 to 200? Why not have cars require the driver to breath into a device to start the car? I'm sure alot more people die per year due to drunk drivers?

GS350Lexus

iTrader: (5)

I agree this is an awesome feature and every car should have one

Fizzboy7

A good idea. However, I'm more happy about the mandatory viewing screen making the interior look upscale.

spwolf

dont they put it into the rearview mirror in cheaper cars? :-).

Luckily for US, toyota wants to put their display audio 6.1" in every model

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

thanks for making all of our cars more expensive. No way in hell that it costs JUST $160 to $200 per vehicle. Go do the dealer and get a quote how much it costs to replace one of these cameras. Not only that, cars that didnt have screens before will know have to have screens. And all of this is just suppose to cost $160-200 per vehicle?

bruce van

Let the market decide on whether cars should come equipped with them! This is just more added costs and weight to cars.

If people want them, they'll pay for them. If you only want to buy an econobox, then you shouldn't be forced to pay for something you don't want. The cost of cars continue to climb. The $200 camera will end up costing $225 after interest.

If Toyota decides as a company to include back-up cameras on their cars, people can factory that into their decision when looking for a new car. If people respond positively, competing companies will play catch up.

I bet you more people get into accidents while distracted looking for directions than in backing up accidents. What will the government mandate next? GPS navigation in every car?

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I don't feel a reverse camera is as mandatory as a front mounted one.

I feel a front camera is more important considering you'll have proof of the idiots hitting you rather than them blaming it on you (example of all the scams uploaded on youtube).

Pop the video, see the proof, case close.

baddis es

iTrader: (3)

i know the bigger toyota vehicles, trucks/suvs, come with this and the screen in the rearview mirror...i beleive it;s standard on all versions of the model too

i'm for it...simple add on that is really really helpful to be honest, I use it often on our G37 and 3GS along with your normal rear/side view mirror checks

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

this is beyond stupid. rear view cameras may be nice, but MANDATING them!?
will they mandate how big the screen must be? so now all cars will have to have a screen - why would you want a small sports car to REQUIRE a screen? this will also hurt all exotic / small volume makers.

dumb, dumb, dumb, overly intrusive... and dumb.

ydooby

Agreed. Imagine the Lotus Elise or even the Ariel Atom having to add these useless weights just to be road-legal in the US.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

I don't see how this will "add weight" or be expensive to implement.

Small camera in the trunk lid (VERY light) and a screen built into the review. Won't need much change/modification at all... Just have to run one wire to the front and tap the reverse lights. (or other source) for power.

Easy.

FrankReynoldsCPA

Have they studied these deaths to see if it's really because of utter lack of visibility? Or is it because of distracted/thoughtless drivers?

I live in a house with 9 other college students(5 upstairs, 5 downstairs). 3 cars park on the street, 5 or so of us in the back yard which has been turned into a dirt lot. My roommate has backed into 2 of our housemates' vehicles already. It's not for lack of visibility, it's because he is an airhead who is never paying attention to his surroundings, whether in the car or in the living room(knocks things over all the time).

How about we get all airheads off of the road.

jaseman

Ridiculous idea.

How many of these injuries or deaths would have been prevented by a back-up camera mounted on a Corolla, Focus, or I know, how about a Miata?!?! While I don't know the official stats, I would guess that 95% involved a behemoth SUV, minivan, or truck. Very few (if any) would have involved a small or mid-sized sedan.

Here's a thought... let's use some common sense, and only mandate them on vehicles over a certain size, or with limited rear visibility. Want more re-assurance, I'd even concede to a simple sensor that beeps when there is an object behind you, for all cars. I don't see the need to add a camera and screen to every vehicle out there, especially when the cost of new cars, even low budget ones, is creeping steadily beyond a lot of consumers comfort level.

Want to know the real answer? Just like all other issues involving most accidents - DRIVER EDUCATION!!! We tend to forget that driving is a privilege, NOT a right. Properly training drivers, for the vehicles they drive, an then retesting periodically, would go a long way in general.