Rear Visibility Regulations Face Continued Postponement

Jan 4
16:11

2013

Paul E Lee

Paul E Lee

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For the fourth time in five years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has missed its deadline to establish a new set of guidelines for rear view visibility on all new vehicles.

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For the fourth time in five years,Rear Visibility Regulations Face Continued Postponement Articles the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has missed its deadline to establish a new set of guidelines for rear view visibility, and rear view cameras, on all new cars sold in the United States. The proposed regulations, originally introduced in 2007, are designed to limit automobile accidents in which drivers are unable to adequately see what is behind them when reversing, especially pedestrians and young children. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had hoped to have a proposal prepared by December 31st of last year, but that deadline has come and gone without a finalized plan being developed.

Despite the continued setbacks, the NHTSA says it is intently focused on establishing the new visibility rules. "The department remains committed to improving rearview visibility for the nation's fleet and will issue a final rule upon completion of the regulatory review process," said the federal safety organization in a released statement. Visibility issues were first discussed in Congress in 2007, as legislation was passed requiring a new set of standards to be implemented by February of 2011. Instead of meeting that deadline, LaHood exercised his authority to postpone it, setting a new date for January of 2012. When the start of the year came however, the deadline was again pushed back to February 29th, and then a third time to December 31st.

At this time, the NHTSA has not said how long the delay would last, or if LaHood was set a new deadline; his fourth. According to reports, the visibility guidelines proposal remains under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget, and that there is no timetable for its acceptable or rejection. If it passes review, implementation may not be far off, though if it does not, more months and even years may be needed.

Cost has been the largest hurdle to proposed visibility guidelines, as auto makers and even the NHTSA themselves have noted that the increased production costs would not overcome the supposed benefits. According to estimates, stricter visibility requirements and rear view cameras would add between $700 million to $1.6 billion in costs by 2014. Using the commonly accepted figure of $6.1 million as the cost of a human life, this would translate to a cost between $11.8 million and $19.7 million per life saved; far from reaching any semblance of profitability.

Despite this, the NHTSA argues that the lifesaving benefits, especially for young children, are worth it. Accident statistics show that each year, almost 100 children ages 5 and under are killed in backup accidents, with more than half being under one year old. “Many people value the lives of children more than the lives of adults,” says the NHTSA in response to the estimated $6.1 million valuation of a human life. “There is a recognized general need to protect children given their greater vulnerability to injury and inability to protect themselves.”

Federal regulators have also estimated that adding rear view cameras to the back of all new vehicles, a likely outcome of their proposed guidelines, would only increase the cost of production of a new vehicle by $203 at the most, and that upon reaching mass implementation, costs would likely decrease, dropping the total cost on the auto industry as a whole, bringing the proposed rules closer to eventual profitability.

As rear view visibility standards continue to be debated on Capitol Hill, the ultimate responsibility for avoiding backup accidents rests with drivers, who should take every precaution before throwing their vehicles into reverse. Until rear view cameras are installed on every vehicle on the road, there will be a threat of accidents and serious injury for those who are hit by drivers who fail to see them when backing out of a driveway or parking space. Fortunately, there are legal protections in place to help those who have suffered damages recover what they need to get back on their feet. Through the help of an experience car accident lawyer, compensation can be recovered from those at fault to help victims repair their injuries.