On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the release of a new safety standard that will require all new cars and light trucks to be equipped with rearview cameras by May 2018. This federal standard was mandated in 2011 by Congress, but was delayed due to holdups and a lawsuit.
The new standard was promoted by an estimated 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries occurring yearly by backover accidents and would help drivers who were backing up their vehicles from running over small children. In addition to the requirement of rearview cameras, the rule will modify a current standard that expands the area to 10 foot by 20 foot zone directly behind the vehicle that must be visible to the driver when backing up.
