Rear-view cameras, a relatively new safety feature, might become standard in vehicles before the end of the year pending a decision by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

These cameras were first introduced in luxury vehicles, but they have started popping up in mid-level cars more often in the past year. The NHTSA is considering making them mandatory in order to decrease vehicle backover accidents and deaths. According to the NHTSA, backover accidents on average cause 183 fatalities and up to 7,419 injuries every year.

The NHTSA were expected to make a decision last month, but they delayed a decision until the end of the year in order to fully explore the issue. In an official statement, they reiterated their commitment to safety and said that they would be surveying thousands of drivers who currently have rear-view cameras to discover the benefits and any potential problems with the technology.

Critics of the rear-view cameras say that the cameras are expensive and problematic. Reflection on the video screens at certain times of the day can impair the driver’s ability to see, and responsible drivers will still want to use the rear-view mirrors in addition to the camera. Still, I am holding out to see what the NHTSA discovers in the next year. Rear-view cameras cannot stop someone from being a bad driver, but maybe it can help stop a capable driver from making a deadly mistake.

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