Plan to Make Back-Up Cameras Mandatory by 2014 Delayed
A plan that would see back-up cameras installed in all vehicles by 2014 will take longer to roll out than originally planned. According to a recent report by The Detroit News, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked Congress for an extension in order to look over information gathered from a recent pubic comment period before creating a plan.
Originally tabled in December, NHTSA says that on average 300 deaths per year are attributable to cars that accidentally back over a person, with a third of those being children under the age of five and a third those over 70.
At the time NHTSA said the cost to install a back up camera in a car without a display screen would range from $159 to $203 per vehicle, while cars with navigation systems in place would only see an increase of $58 to $88. This would amount to a total industry cost of $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion annually.
Upon further study, NHTSA has revealed that the “cost-per-life” cost-benefit analysis breaks down to anywhere from $11.3 million to $72.2 million spent per life saved, well beyond its “comprehensive cost estimate for a statistical life of $6.1 million.”
This new data may put NHTSA’s initial plans to implement mandatory back-up cameras by 2014 in jeopardy and it’s not yet clear that if the agency still pushes ahead with its original plans, how much longer it will now take.
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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