US to require rear visibility technology in new cars

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA) on Monday issued a final rule requiring all new light vehicles to have rear visibility technology in an effort to reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by backover accidents. This new rule requires all vehicles under 10,000 pounds (about 4,536 kilograms), including buses and trucks, manufactured on or after May 1, 2018, to meet the new rear visibility standards, the NHTSA said in a statement. The agency said such technology must give drivers a field of view measuring at least 10 by 20 feet (3 by 6 meters) directly behind the vehicle. The system must also meet other requirements including image size, linger time, response time, durability, and deactivation, it said. "Rear visibility requirements will save lives, and will save many families from the heartache suffered after these tragic incidents occur," NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman said in a statement. According to the agency, there are 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backover crashes in the United States, with about 31 percent of the deaths among children under five years old and about 26 percent among adults over 70.