Rear-View Cameras Now Required On All New Vehicles

This just in from Bing! The 2008 federal regulation requiring rear-view cameras and video displays, which safety advocates say will help prevent accidents, took full effect Wednesday May 5 2018.

New cars sold in the United States must now be outfitted with rearview cameras to try and reduce the number of deaths and injuries that happen when vehicles back over people. This will help prevent accidents in which pedestrians — often children — are run over because a driver can't see them.

NHTSA requirements of backup cameras for all new cars sold in the US went in effect May 1. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ruled that all new cars must come standard with backup cameras by 2018.

Cameras have become increasingly common on new cars, adding a measure of safety and convenience when reversing. If your late-model car is not so equipped, there’s an aftermarket retrofit available that will work.

A 2013 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study found that cars with backup cameras have a much lower rate of backup crashes. The study said that about 292 people are killed and 18,000 injured in backup crashes every year.