What’s one of the most useful safety items offered in vehicles today? If you answered backup cameras or rearview cameras, you’d have the right answer. This feature is one to give us a view of what’s going on behind the vehicle that you drive so that you don’t accidentally run into anything when you’re backing up. These camera systems have helped us be safer when we back out of parking spots or down our driveway to head out for the day or where you need to go, helping you avoid a potential collision.
Thankfully, as of May 1, 2018, every new vehicle built for the North American market is required to have a rearview camera installed and part of the basic car package. This standardization is part of the regulations issues in 2014 by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to give us more safety equipment in the vehicles that we drive. While it certainly costs more to have a rearview camera or any advanced safety features that can be part of the vehicles we drive, the ability to avoid more accidents is an important part of what these safety items are meant to offer us for the drive on the road.
Making the Roads Safer
Instead of paying more to have a package of items you don’t need just to receive a rearview camera now you’ll be able to have this feature as part of the standard items. What’s interesting is the fact that the US DOT had to sue the NHTSA in 2013 with allegations that the federal agency wasn’t doing enough to standardize the equipment needed. In response to this, the NHTSA mandated a rearview camera become standard equipment on all vehicles built after May 1 of this year. This was the result of over ten years of pressure from the US DOT.
Of course, the rearview camera system is just the beginning as the US DOT and others would like to see most active safety systems added to all cars for the future. The numbers show us that cars with automated rear braking reduce collisions by 62 percent, automated emergency braking with forward collision warnings reduce front-end collisions by fifty percent, blind spot warning reduces lane change accidents by 14 percent and lane departure warnings reduces the number of single vehicle sideswipes and head-on crashes by eleven percent.
When you’re looking for the next vehicle you want to buy, you’re going to be glad to see a rearview camera installed, especially if you choose one that has a lack of visibility in the rear. The fact this is now a standard item means prices for vehicles may increase by a small amount, but some automakers already offered these systems in every vehicle to help make sure you can stay safer and see what’s going on behind your vehicle. As we move forward, expect more of the active safety systems to become part of the standard equipment we’ll enjoy for the drive on the road.
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