It was recently reported in the New York Times that according to KidsAndCars.org, a non-profit group which provides statistics concerning injuries and death in children, Federal Regulators have now moved closer to announcing that auto manufacturers will be required to install rear view cameras in all passenger vehicles by 2014 to assist with drivers seeing behind them.
Automobiles are chock-full of an array of features that have been mandated by Government Regulators which include airbags and the third rear brake light. Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not formally commented on the anticipated new rule, based on a preliminary version available for public comment, regulators have predicted that these mandated cameras with view screens will add $160-$200 per vehicle in costs, with some of the costs to be passed on to consumers. However, the statistics gathered will show that over 8,000 injuries could be avoided each year by eliminating the blind spot behind a vehicle.
Many advocates have argued that this mandatory safety feature is long overdue. The new law has its genesis in a 2008 law known as the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act which was a named after a 2-year old boy who was killed in 2002 when his father accidentally reversed over him in the family’s SUV.
Although that law required the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to pursue standards for rear vision, there has been no formal regulation put in place. In an attempt to predict this becoming effective in 2014, manufacturers have been designing vehicle models with camera systems in mind and in lieu of including a camera along with a very expensive navigation package, many are now making the camera standard or an inexpensive option.
Jeff Krawitz is a Shareholder in Stark & Stark’s Yardley, PA office, specializing in Accident & Personal Injury Law. For more information, please contact Mr. Krawitz.