SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Starting May 1 all new vehicles will need to come equipped with a rear view camera.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved the new safety standard in 2014. It’s been slowly phased in during the years that followed. Rear view camera images are generally displayed in the dashboard of a vehicle. Some just show a simple image, while others show color-coded lines to assist with parking and distance.
The agency reports 226 people are killed and 12,000 injured a year due to backover crashes. More than half of those killed are children under 5 or adults over age 70.
The change is a result of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act. It’s named after 2-year-old Cameron Gulbransen who was killed in 2002 after his father, a pediatrician, accidentally backed over him in the driveway due to the blind spot. The NHTSA says drivers using all 3 mirrors still can’t see anything in a blind zone 10-50 feet directly behind their vehicles.
Dr. Greg Gulbransen added, “It’s been a long fight, but we’re thrilled this day has finally come. It’s a bittersweet day, because this rule should have been in place many years ago. Though his own life was short, my son Cameron inspired a regulation that will save the lives of countless others.”
