The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) missed a December 31 deadline to establish rules requiring rear vision camera systems for all new cars. Congress approved a plan to set rear visibility standards in new cars, which would likely require the adoption of rearview camera systems, back in 2007, so why has the NHTSA avoided setting guidelines?
As The Detroit News (via Left Lane News) points out, there are likely two reasons behind the delay, with the first being the cost of implementation. As unsettling as this may sound, the “value” of a human life is $6.1 million according to the NHTSA; implementation of mandatory rear-view camera systems would cost between $11.8 million and $19.7 million per life saved. Put another way, there isn’t exactly an epidemic of vehicular deaths caused by rear-visibility issues.
Given that most of the deaths involve children under the age of five, the agency is willing to look beyond the cost of implementation, but the question is can consumers? Rear-vision systems add an average of $181 to cars lacking an infotainment display, or $73 to cars equipped with a display screen. It’s not clear if consumers would be willing to spend this amount of money for a safety system that isn’t perceived to add significant benefit.
The real reason for the delay, however, may be tied to the fact that most new car models already offer the technology bundled with other systems. By the time the NHTSA got around to making rear-vision systems mandatory, most manufacturers would be in compliance anyway.
Do we even need to point out that rear-vision camera systems themselves won’t solve the problem, or that a distracted driver is a distracted driver no matter how much technology his car is packing?
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
