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Back-up cameras on automobiles are considered a luxury feature by many consumers but soon that “luxury” may be required on all new vehicles. Details regarding this safety proposal was made public last week by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If the proposal is passed into law, the NHTSA would require all commercially produced automobiles to have rear view back-up cameras installed during production by 2014. The proposal suggests that cameras be phased in gradually over the next several years in new cars, trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles. The safety concerns regarding driver visibility when backing a car up has been a hot button topic for many years but in 2007 legislation was passed after several children were killed when cars backed over them.
Research conducted by the NHTSA shows astounding figures with regard to how much rear-view cameras will help prevent injuries and deaths. According to the NHTSA more than 7,000 injuries can be prevented in the U.S. while more than 100 lives may be saved if this back-up camera safety regulation goes into effect.
Children and the elderly are the most common victims of back-over related injuries and deaths in the United States. Most deaths occur in children under the age of five according to the NHTSA. Since almost 20,000 injuries occur every year as a direct result of being backed over, the NHTSA believes that a regulation mandating that cameras be installed in all vehicles is a viable solution to the growing problem.
There will be added costs associated with equipping new vehicles with cameras and other related accessories but the costs per vehicle are very reasonable. For most autos the average cost increase would be around $200, a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our loved ones, animals, and fellow man.
While some naysayers may be screaming about their rights as an American and how this regulation would be another way the government has control, their arguments carry very little weight when it comes to the safety of those around us. Think about it, how often do you begin to back out of a parking space at the local shopping center only have to hit your brakes because you see a glimpse of a person in the spot you thought was clear just a split second earlier?
With a relatively low price increase and potential to prevent thousands of injuries nationwide, it is time for all of us to support the proposed back-up camera regulation; even those people who can’t yet see its importance.
