I had a rear view video system installed in my car after hitting a car trying to park on the street that had reversed and blocked my driveway just as I was backing out (I had checked my rearview mirror, saw nothing and was watching for incoming traffic on my right when the car that I hit came from my left hand side). What I soon learned about the rearview video system is that it is most useful for trying to parallel park in tight spaces, but you have to keep your eyes on it the whole time. Cars, children, people and pets can still come out of nowhere and right into your path just as you are reversing and looking elsewhere, even momentarily.

So this is going to add about 0.1% to the cost of a new car but dramatically improve safety and usability, and you're objecting because of some mid-20th-century Ayn Randian/Libertarian view that government shouldn't tell private industry what to do?

Don't you have bigger issues to blogs about, like how babies are somehow more annoying and unhygienic than dogs in restaurants?

I haven't used one, but they same like a great idea and quite cheap. I sure wanted one the other day when I was trying to get out of my parking space when some had parked illegally across the path behind me. And that price I actually wonder why all cars don't come with except maybe the bottom end Kia.

What we really need are nannycams in every room of every home, monitored by our local police. We would be so safe and not sorry, not a bit.

So franko how is that seatbelt mandate doing? Oh, the cops are ticketing people nationwide and have a big campaign to "click it or ticket"?

They've been putting out the seatbelt propaganda for 30+ years, my whole life but now all of a sudden they're needing to ticket people? Most folks I know put it on automatically when getting in a car now. Why do we need more law enforcement and mandates? Our wise and corrupt (howdy Rangel and Delay!) congress critters and safety gurus put enough pressure on car makers that we now have our cars beeping at us if we're not buckled in and the car is running. Heaven forfend I USE MY BRAIN to not wear my belt driving on private property at 5mph where I'm going to be getting out of the car multiple times in a short period.

Keep your camera in working order or get a ticket! How will they know? Maybe the copper can just pull it up on his mini PC screen thanks to OnStar in between donuts. More safety theater and money for the government.

As Amy said, you have to then force people to use it. It doesn't guarantee you won't hit somebody by accident either. Oregon has/had an oft missed question on their driver's exams. Its actually Oregon law that every time you get in your car you are to walk around it and make sure there is no "obstruction" behind your car that you might run over. In most cases this is absolutely pointless and a waste of time.

franko, u r an a-hole.... as far as backing up and running over your kid, sorry, you deserve to rot in hell for that one. I always made sure I knew where my tots were when I backed out of the driveway. And those cameras they are advising have blind spots, so this whole idea is absurd. I want the government out of my life, end of story

Aren't we supposed to be limiting distractions for drivers? How is staring at some screen helpful or safe when your car is in motion?

On the one hand, no, this shouldn't be mandated by the government, for all of the reasons that Amy mentions.

On the other hand, I too have no kids and no real driveway, but I LOVE my rear backup camera. I have a terrible sense of spatial relations and, despite much practice, have always been bad at parallel parking. Heck, I'm not even good at pulling out of non-parallel tight parking spaces because I always think that I have less room than I do.

The rear backup camera -- and my car's proximity sensors -- have changed my life for the better. I can parallel park, back up more effectively...you name it. I am a safer driver for all of those around me.

I wonder if this is actually a case in which regulators believe that rear backup cameras would help reduce all sorts of minor collisions, dings, etc.....but believe that appealing to the safety of kids will make people more willing to accept the new regulation. Just a suggestion.

How is staring at some screen helpful or safe when your car is in motion?

As someone who has and uses a rear backup camera: You look at it instead of looking over your shoulder when you're backing up. You don't miss anything you'd see by looking over your shoulder, and you see a lot more. Makes parallel parking and navigating parking lots MUCH easier. Very helpful for those of us who were under-endowed with spatial awareness. (My husband, Mr. Spatial, doesn't find them as useful, but they're easy to ignore if you wish.)

Something to keep in mind is that the same people who are too negligent, or compromised, to back up safely now will be the same with a back-up camera. Their problem isn't the lack of a camera view, it's that they're negligent.

The effects of technologies like this are difficult to predict, because they influence behavior in unexpected ways. Will pedestrians be less cautious around cars in parking lots if they assume that the driver has the necessary view of their surroundings? Will drivers have a tendency to back up more aggressively believing that they have a better view of the area they're backing into?

The ideal situation may be for the cameras to be very common, but not universal, so people who need them can readily acquire one, but pedestrians can't count on drivers having an augmented view of their surroundings. This approach argues for making the camera systems inexpensive and easy to adapt, which can be accomplished w/ standardization. But mandates tend to create cartels and monopolies, which increase costs and thwart portability. So in their efforts to improve safety, the NHTSA may be impeding developments that would solve the problem on their own.

When will it stop? Even if it is a good idea, do we want every good idea into Federal Law? Make it an option, let the market figure it out.

I am appalled by the number of people who back up without looking, they drive by feel/sound.

I should be happy, I am in the body shop business.

So this is going to add about 0.1%

And if you don't use your government mandated rear view camera? you'll still back over your kid/the neighbor/random homeless guy. But, hey thanks for making those of us who know to drive pay more because it makes you feel good.

Up yours Franko, and likewise to your corrupt masters in Congress.

The other thing that comes to mind -- in the northern weather states -- you can't really wash your car in winter because all it does is to turn in to an ice sheet.

So what happens when your camera is covered in ice and salt?

I don't have kids either, but I like the idea of having this (but not being forced to get it) because some of my neighbors have kids, and although I check before I back up, kids can be fast when you don't want them to be.

But this seems like something that most car manufacturers will start adding anyway as they decide that the market likes it.

By the way, about that 5 mile an hour thing. Years ago, I was riding a bicycle across a street (on the crosswalk) and got hit by a car which was coming to a stop (but she didn't see me and hit my bike first). I don't know how fast she was going, but since this was in the downtown area, and she was coming to a stop, it couldn't have been that fast. It threw me over the bike handles into the other lane. My helmet got cracked, but I was OK. It was a pretty impressive impact considering that she wasn't going all that fast. Not sure if it would be similar in a car without a seat belt.

@franko - die in a fire. some of us know the extents of our automobiles quite well and don't need extra doodads making noises at us while we're driving.

KrisL:

It was a pretty impressive impact considering that she wasn't going all that fast. Not sure if it would be similar in a car without a seat belt.

P=mv. Conservation of momentum. car at 1mph is still a shitload of momentum. As far as the seat belts go, instead of allowing you to control how the energy is transferred to your body, it delivers it to your shoulder, neck, and lower abdomen.

Doctors kill hundreds of thousands of people each year because of misdiagnosis or improper medication, yet Congress is passing a law to save 292 people a year.

Priorities much?

For those of you who are "spatially challenged", I submit that you haven't exerted thoughtful and systematic effort. No part of driving a motor vehicle responds to fright/flight or other "gut feelings".

So think first - set up what you have to do - then practice.
Hey, Chuck Yeager could get airsick. He just plain worked through it.

I suggest walking out to your car and putting your body against each headlight and taillight. As you do, point at the steering wheel and state how far away it is. Out loud.

That's just a start. Generally, people do not know how quickly their car can stop or how hard it can swerve, and they mistake a lack of accidents for "being a good driver". But poor backing is simply the result of not understanding physical dimensions.

Those backup cameras are just the warmup. The Department of Transportation is apparently looking into technology that will disable cell phones in cars.

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/131845-dot-looks-to-disable-cell-phones-in-cars

While every life is important and we commend the parties involved to get this done we would like to point out some facts.

www.dangeroustrailers.org

We have 250 Million Vehicles in the United States and 298 lives were lost and 18,000 injured.

However with our cause that the Government does nothing about "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers" 40 million Utility Trailers are registered which in 2009 caused 379 lives and over 20,810 injuries.

So if we had 250 million Utility Trailers registered it would be safe to say that all things being equal our cause would have 2,400 lives lost and over 120,000 injuries and our Government does NOTHING EXCEPT TO CRUSH OUR CAUSE.

Please know that State Senator Webb which endorsed the Rear Camera act has mislead us into believing he would help our cause.

WE ASK!!! at www.dangeroustrailers.org who is the hypocrite? Why has the insurance company's also have done its job is destroying our cause.

Why has Bank Of America after they promised to help have been told to foreclose on us. Why? Has the Credit companies gone along with this.

Note that we gave State Senator Webb's office our Social Secuirty numbers and signed papers asking for help. It is our Belief that they have used this information to inform our Creditors to NOT HELP US.

We have safety systems that are failing....we have safety chains that are snapping.

The facts are the facts.....250 million vehicles and 298 lives lost.

40 million Utility Trailers and 379 lives lost.....250 million vehicles 18,000 injured....40 million Utility Trailers "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers" and 20,810 Injured and our government does NOTHING.

Shame on Ray LaHood.....Shame on State Senator Webb....Shame on Travelers Insurance....Shame on Erie Insurance....

We ask...Who is Preventing our cause from getting traction?

Here is a quote from an Insurance AGENT...
Thanks for your voicemail and emails. I saw the pix and read your story. It really amazes me why there has not been any traction on this subject.

We now know our Government is destroying us.

Mrs. Alkon I agree with your last statement..
Doctors kill hundreds of thousands of people each year because of misdiagnosis or improper medication, yet Congress is passing a law to save 292 people a year.

I have hundreds and Hundreds of letters like this..

Comments : my niece just recently passed away because of trailer hitting
the car my sister was driving , she was only 6 , our lives have been
devasted over our loss , iam so angry at the man who caused this
accident , i want to know how i can help so this dosent happen again , i
also want to know how to make new laws for this, i want a law called
eminas law , how can i do this for our family and so this tragedy dosent
happen to anyone else loved ones , i want to be very educated on this ,
i want new laws passed and i also again i state i want a law called
eminas law, i want this not to happen to anyone else , i hope this makes
since , thank you for your time , and being with us through all of this
, thank you for your support

And this one...

Comments : I just read your story in USA Today.I am so thankful that people are being made aware. On May28th,2002-my then 42yo brother was struck by a "run away" trailer.The trailer was not roadsafe and it was overloaded. There were no safety chains and the trailer had only been placed in the hitch-not secured.
Going at a high rate of speed it crossed 2 lanes of traffic and hit my brother's car on the driver's side and intruded into the vehicle.The impact broke every bone in his face and left him with a severe traumatic brain injury.
He was in a coma for 2 months and required extensive and expensive care.
Today he still requires 24/7 care-is unable to walk and has lost his memory.
I have taken over his care.
He lived in North Carolina but the accident occurred in south Carolina while on his way to work.
No charges were ever filed against the driver. I tried for months to find someone who seemed to care about the situation of the trailer and get something changed.
I am so thankful that someone has taken on this task.I learned that the laws for trailers in SC were very lax and remain so to this day.
My brother is still living with the consequences of that negligence.

AND THEY DO NOTHING. Why?

@Ron -

You want to know why? Because 292 deaths is not a Federal problem.

We have a backup sensor on our CRV. It's actually well worth the money, IMO. All this mandated equipment makes cars more more expensive, which leads to people keeping older, less safe and more polluting cars on the road longer.

I'd rather decide what I need and want to pay for.

I'm still pissed about the right-side "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" review mirrors. Seriously, how is that helpful? I'm fine with backup cameras being optional, but mandatory? No.

And whatever happened to teaching your kid not to stand behind a car, because they can't be seen? Yeah, I get there will be a couple of dumb kids who won't listen, but I just consider that Social Darwinism.

Unfortunately,we continue to marginalize society. The stupid and the lazy should not be driving our policy making.

I want to install a backup alarm instead of a camera. That way if I back over my kid, it'll be his fault.