I'm generally against government mandates, as my signature alludes to. That said, mandating cameras is among the least of my complaints against the government. They are bound to become standard equipment anyhow, just like automatic door locks. Nobody forced automatic door locks, but you can hardly find a car without them now.
Backup cameras add like $10 to the price of a car that already has a screen built in. I suppose the cost would be a bit higher if the screen was there only for displaying the rearview, but they are commonplace now due to NAV and controlling other vehicle functions.
Here are some facts from the first website I visited:
Quote:
Every week in America, there are more than fifty backover accidents involving children. The average age of the child is one-year old. The majority of the time, a parent or relative is driving the vehicle. Mostly these accidents happen with larger vehicles like a truck, van, or SUV. Of the fifty children run over, two of them die.
The predominant age of victims is one year olds. (12-23 months)
Over 60% of backing up incidents involved a larger size vehicle. (truck, van, SUV)
Tragically, in over 70% of these incidents, a parent or close relative is behind the wheel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reports over 2400 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms every year due a child being struck by or rolled over by a vehicle moving in reverse.
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Mandating backup cameras may eventually trickle down to lower insurance premiums too. If the cost to add the camera is offset by the cost of accidents that are avoided, then it makes it a no-brainer.