Nationwide, United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard; Rearview Mirrors; Notice of proposed rulemaking
Summary Information
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a rule that 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.
NHTSA determined through extensive testing that the only technology available that would significantly decrease the number of backover crashes resulting in fatalities or injuries is the rearview camera. Even when using sensors to detect objects behind the car, the driver was unlikely to pause more than briefly without seeing an image of what was being sensed. They also found that additional or altered mirrors were insufficient in improving rear visibility.
NHTSA believes that 95 fatalities and 7,072 injuries (mostly of young children) could be prevented annually if all cars were equipped with rearview camera systems that provide images to drivers, as laid out in the schedule above.