NHTSA proposes mandatory backup cameras by 2014

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

NHTSA proposes mandatory backup cameras by 2014

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Dec 3rd 2010 at 10:29AM

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing new regulations to mandate back-up cameras in all passenger cars, trucks, minivans and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. If the proposed law goes into effect, automakers must get 10 percent of the fleet in compliance by 2012, 40 percent by 2013 and 100 percent of new vehicles by 2014.

These measures are being proposed by NHTSA to try and reduce the number of back-over fatalities and injuries that occur on a yearly basis. According to NHTSA, 292 people die every year from back-over accidents while another 18,000 are injured. Will making rearview cameras mandatory help curb this? Is it possible but is this another case where drivers are moving further away from knowing actual driving skills and closer to reliance on digital assistance?

In this case, perhaps not. Rearview cameras simply allow for a better picture of what's going on behind your vehicle, and with rollover standards and the increasing size of vehicles, rearward visibility in new vehicles seems to be getting worse, not better. Still, if NHTSA's proposal becomes law, there will be added cost passed on to consumers. Most luxury vehicles are already equipped with this technology – particularly those with navigation systems – but even if the systems aren't that expensive for automakers to install, they're likely to have a disproportionate impact on the MSRPs of inexpensive models.

In any case, you can read some more insight into NHTSA's proposal in their official press release after the jump.

[source: NHTSA | Image: Damon Lavrinc/Autoblog/AOL]

Show full PR text

U.S. DOT Proposes Rear View Visibility Rule to Protect Kids and the Elderly

Regulation Is Aimed at Preventing Accidental Fatalities and Injuries to Pedestrians in Low-Speed Back-Up Accidents

The U.S. Department of Transportation today proposed a new safety regulation to help eliminate blind zones behind vehicles that can hide the presence of pedestrians, especially young children and the elderly. The proposed rule was required by Congress as part of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007. Two-year old Cameron Gulbransen, for whom the Act is named, was killed when his father accidentally backed over him in the family's driveway.

"There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "The changes we are proposing today will help drivers see into those blind zones directly behind vehicles to make sure it is safe to back up."

The proposal, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), would expand the required field of view for all passenger cars, pickup trucks, minivans, buses and low-speed vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 10,000 pounds so that drivers can see directly behind the vehicle when the vehicle's transmission is in reverse. NHTSA believes automobile manufacturers will install rear mounted video cameras and in-vehicle displays to meet the proposed standards. To meet the requirements of the proposed rule, ten percent of new vehicles must comply by Sept. 2012, 40 percent by Sept. 2013 and 100 percent by Sept. 2014.

"The steps we are taking today will help reduce back-over fatalities and injuries not only to children, but to the elderly, and other pedestrians," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "And while these changes will make a difference, drivers must remember that no technology can, or should, replace full attention and vigilance when backing up. Always know where your children are before you start your car and make sure you check that there is no one behind you before you back up."

NHTSA estimates that, on average, 292 fatalities and 18,000 injuries occur each year as a result of back-over crashes involving all vehicles. Of these, 228 fatalities involve light vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less. Two particularly vulnerable populations – children and the elderly – are affected most. Approximately 44 percent of fatalities involving light vehicles are children under five–an unusually high percentage for any particular type of crash. In addition, 33 percent of fatalities involving light vehicles are elderly people 70 years of age or older.

NHTSA is providing a 60-day comment period on this rulemaking that begins when the proposal is published in the Federal Register. The proposal and information about how to submit comments is at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Laws-Regs

link:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/03/nhtsa-proposes-mandatory-backup-cameras-by-2014/

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

NHTSA proposes mandatory backup cameras in all new cars

December 3, 2010 - 10:30 am ET

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- U.S. auto-safety regulators proposed requiring backup cameras on all new vehicles by 2014, under a rule released today intended to prevent drivers from backing over pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which published the proposed rule, said an average of 292 people die each year from back-over accidents, which primarily kill children and the elderly.

“There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

“The changes we are proposing today will help drivers see into those blind zones directly behind vehicles to make sure it is safe to back up.”

The rule will benefit suppliers such as Gentex Corp., said David Leiker, an analyst with Baird Equity Research. He said in a research note that Gentex’s rear-camera display system, with an LCD screen that is visible when the vehicle is in reverse, would satisfy NHTSA’s proposed requirements.

A rule to enhance rear-view visibility for drivers was required by a 2007 law named after Cameron Gulbransen, a 2-year- old from New York who died after his father accidentally backed over him. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland helped write the law when he worked for the Senate Commerce Committee.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101203/OEM06/101209912/1143#ixzz1743artbs

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Feds Wants Rearview Cameras Standard by 2014

Rearview cameras could become standard equipment by 2014, if a new proposal by the Department of Transportation makes its way into law.

The DOT is expected to require that all vehicles make available to drivers, an unobstructed 180-degree rear view of their car's surroundings when the car is in reverse gear. Given the hard points of today's vehicles, the rule would essentially require standard rearview cameras like those embedded in rearview mirrors (above) or those that display inside a navigation unit screen.

The DOT's vehicle-safety agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), says that nearly 300 people die each year as a result of back-up accidents. The NHTSA also attributes 18,000 injuries to the scenario, pointing out that children and elderly pedestrians are in the highest-risk group for back-up accidents.

Underscoring the move, Consumer Reports today issued a report from its test of blind-spot zones on vehicles. By placing a toddler-height cone behind different vehicles, at different distances behind the vehicle, the publication found that blind spots on SUVs are particularly troubling, while those of small sportscars are better for preventing back-up accidents. The video below illustrates CR's study.

The NHTSA and DOT will likely phase in their new rules beginning in 2012, with all new vehicles sold after September 2014 held to the new standard-camera requirement.

link:

http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1052147_feds-wants-rearview-cameras-standard-by-2014