Government to Require Back Up Cameras on Vehicles
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TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The government is ordering car makers to install rear view cameras in order to save more than 200 lives a year. The National Highway Safety Transportation Administration Monday announced the new rule that will apply to road-legal vehicles under 10,000 pounds.
Some cars and trucks make backup warning sounds, but that’s not enough to prevent accidentally backing over a toddler. According to NHTSA, an average of 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries are due to back-up accidents each year. Children under 5 make up 31 percent of those deaths.
“Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents — our children and seniors,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “As a father, I can only imagine how heart wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today’s rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents.”
Susan Auriemma backed into her daughter several years ago, and now she says a rear camera could have prevented that.
“Her face was covered in blood her clothing was torn from the impact,” Auriemma said about the incident that injured her daughter who’s now 11 years old and fine.
Congress ordered the backup camera be in place two years ago. The new government order won’t require them till 2018.
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