The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has published a final rule to amend FMVSS to require all new vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds GVWR, including many Type A-1 school buses, to be equipped with rear-view “backup” cameras by May 1, 2018.
NHTSA strongly showed support of the cameras, saying the new requirements provide “the most effective and cost-effective” solution to protecting children and those with disabilities.
With the passing of the rule, the title of FMVSS 111 has also been updated from “Rearview mirrors” to “rear visibility” and expands the required field of view to include a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle.
School Transportation News explains the final rule was required by the passage of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, named after a 2-year-old boy who was accidentally killed by his father while backing up into the family driveway.
The only vehicles which are not bound to this are motorcycles and trailers. All other vehicles, including school buses and “low-speed vehicles” must comply, as they say there is no available scientific data to support the argument that the requirements should apply to different types of vehicles.
“Backover crashes are not limited to any particular type of vehicle, and the agency is not aware of any vehicle type that categorically provides the driver with a sufficient rear field-of-view so as to avoid the types of backover incidents contemplated by Congress,” wrote NHTSA.
