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All new cars required to have rearview cameras by 2018

All new cars required to have rearview cameras by 2018

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued new regulations today requiring all vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds to be equipped with rear visibility cameras by May 2018. The new rule is designed to protect pedestrians from vehicles backing up into them, though it has up until now faced numerous delays.

Though carmakers like Honda and Toyota have already begun to outfit their cars with backup cameras, the regulations will apply to all cars, buses, and trucks for the 2019 model year. The NHTSA has been pushing for this rule for years, though a final rule has been delayed five times since 2011. According to the group, the new cameras must provide a 10-foot by 20-foot field of vision directly behind the vehicle — a view that can hopefully reduce the 210 deaths and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backing up.