Regulators to require rearview cameras in cars

[SentraSE-R]

I lived in Calif in its glory years, free from seatbelt laws and emissions regulations, with midday smog thick enough to equal a 100 car pile-up fogbank. You guys who want to go back, it ain't gonna happen. Big Brother will drag you kicking and screaming into the 21st Century whether you want to, or not.

I'm sure we're all great drivers who don't need VSC, traction control systems, and ABS. Carry it a step further, and we could probably do away with seat belts and air bags, too.

Think of these laws as protecting your clueless incompetent neighbors from their own stupidity. They're not targeting you .

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by sendler

You mean emissions regulations?

That too, but I did mean to say fuel economy regs. They're worthless IMO. Everybody goes out any says, "This is good for consumers because consumers want fuel economy." Well, the truth is that cusumers already want fuel economy and are willing to pay for it (at least somewhat)--unlike emissions. If a manufacturer can make a vehicle that gets better mileage at the same cost as their competitor, they'll sell more and make more money. Manufacturers already have the ability to increase fuel economy--it's just that it increases the cost more than the consumer would like to pay. All the regs do is force the customer to accept a more costly vehicle than they otherwise would.

(getting down off soapbox...)

[sendler]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

That too, but I did mean to say fuel economy regs. They're worthless IMO. Everybody goes out any says, "This is good for consumers because consumers want fuel economy." Well, the truth is that cusumers already want fuel economy and are willing to pay for it (at least somewhat)--unlike emissions. If a manufacturer can make a vehicle that gets better mileage at the same cost as their competitor, they'll sell more and make more money. Manufacturers already have the ability to increase fuel economy--it's just that it increases the cost more than the consumer would like to pay. All the regs do is force the customer to accept a more costly vehicle than they otherwise would.

(getting down off soapbox...)

You must be making a sideways reference to CAFE. What regulations do you think are imposed by law that add cost to a car in the name of fuel economy?

[user removed]

Like Sentra, I too remember the bad old days when smog was visible and you could smell it as well. I have no problem with rear facing cameras if they allowed the vehicle to loose the rear view mirrors, but we know that won't happen.

Thursday I might buy a Toyota Echo at the salvage auction. Even manual windows and under 2100 pounds with a CD of .29. I just wish they had better revs per mile in top gear, but for my mostly local driving it will be fine.

Wish me luck.

https://www.iaai.com/Vehicles/Vehicl...&RowNumber=217

regards
mech

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by sendler

You must be making a sideways reference to CAFE. What regulations do you think are imposed by law that add cost to a car in the name of fuel economy?

Yes, the CAFE standards as well as the various forms of CO2 regulations (that are coming).

[sendler]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

Yes, the CAFE standards as well as the various forms of CO2 regulations (that are coming).

I've never thought of CAFE as adding to the price of the car. It is a backwards way of encouraging fuel conservation though. Trying to force the manufacturers to sell us something we don't want. A better approach who's time has come would be to tax fuel to the point where we WANT 50 mpg.

[cfg83]

Frank -

I wouldn't be surprised if there is an "ABS effect", aka where people become more aggressive in backing up because they think the video camera helps them to be safer.

Imagine the in-reverse drag races!

CarloSW2

[gone-ot]

...quoting ex-president Reagan: "...GOVERNMENT is the PROBLEM..."

[SentraSE-R]

Government has to step in because people fail to act responsibly. We have mandatory seat belt laws because tens of thousands of people died annually from their own stupidity in not using their seat belts. We have tamper-resistant OTC drug packaging because of one cyanide poisoning incident in Seattle in the early 80s. We have the FDA because one company made a medicine using antifreeze. The problem is not government. The problem, to paraphrase Pogo, is us.

[gone-ot]

...sorry, but the "odds" say it ain't us, but rather he/she or they/them.

...making everybody guilty for somebody else's failures/stupidity/mistakes is social communism.