Rear backup cameras now required on all new vehicles

Starting last week, rear backup cameras are now required on all new passenger vehicles under a regulation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Although the technology has been available on some models and trim levels since the early 2000s, it is now required for the first time. Ford, Nissan and Toyota already had the cameras as standard equipment on all models.

An estimated 210 people die and 15,000 are injured in backup accidents every year. Nearly one-third of those are children under 5, and 26 percent are adults older than 70.

Sales staff can point to the now-standard feature as a helpful safety addition.