Backup Cameras Now Required for U.S. Spec Cars

Reverse cameras are now a legal requirement for all passenger vehicles in the U.S.

As of Tuesday, May 1, all new passenger vehicles sold in the United States are now legally required to have a backup camera installed as a standard feature.

This new mandate has been in the works for quite some time as part of a safety regulation issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation back in 2014. The rule calls for new vehicles sold to have this feature as standard after May 1, but due to logistics with build dates, there will still be some vehicles with build dates dating back to 2017 that may not have this feature as standard.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, backup cameras have been found to reduce backup-related crashes by 17 percent. Also, more than 12,000 people are injured every year including 200 killed due to “backover” crashes, according to the Department of Transportation.

Unsurprisingly, a significant number of automakers had already begun offering a backup camera as standard equipment on all their models far back as two or three years ago.