• 14
  • September
    2011

The blind zone directly behind your car is dangerous, especially for young children and elderly individuals. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), back-over crashes kill approximately 292 people and injure more than 18,000 every year. More than 40 percent of fatal back-over car accidents involve children under five years old, and more than 30 percent involve seniors over 70 years old.

Most of these fatal back-over accidents are avoidable, especially with new car technology such as backup camera systems. Most rearview backup cameras are small cameras mounted on the back of vehicles. Their images are displayed on the dashboard, allowing drivers to see what their rearview mirrors cannot.

As Los Angeles car accident lawyers, we see the emotional turmoil that parents and other family members go through when a loved one is killed in a fatal accident. Safety should come first. Since backup cameras can prevent deaths - especially deaths involving the most vulnerable members of our society - it follows that all cars should have this new technology.

Federal Legislation to Require Backup Cameras on New Cars

Late 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a safety regulation that would require all vehicles to have a backup camera or similar device by 2014.

The Department of Transportation made this proposal in reaction to the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, which was named for a 2-year old boy who was accidentally run over by his father. The Act requires the Secretary of Transportation (currently, Ray LaHood) to issue safety standards to reduce the amount of car accidents involving children. It specifically names rear view backup cameras as a principal way to make our roads and driveways safer for children.

The regulations would require backup cameras in:

  • Ten percent of new vehicles by September 2012
  • Forty percent of new vehicles by September 2013
  • One-hundred percent of new vehicles by September 2014

Not surprisingly, automakers are concerned about the financial impact this federal rule would have on them. In particular, they want more time to comply with it because of the cost of installing the car backup cameras (which could reach $2.7 billion).

More than 200 people commented during the regulation's public comment period and NHTSA asked for an extension to review the comments before finalizing the regulations.

Purchasing Your Own Backup Camera, Protecting Your Family

What if your car doesn't have a backup camera? Backup cameras are relatively cheap add-on items. They can be purchased and installed on existing cars for less than $200. Our law office recommends that everyone consider buying and installing one on each of their cars, especially people who have small children.

Source: NHTSA Press Release, "U.S. DOT Proposes Rear View Visibility Rule to Protect Kids and the Elderly," Dec. 3, 2010.