The Detroit News reports that DOT has sent rules mandating backup cameras to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, signaling that the rules may be finished before the January 2015 deadline. The News notes that in June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration didn’t expect to finalize the rule until January 2015, the fifth time the rules have been delayed. The delays have been seen as a victory for automakers who oppose the requirement. The News also explains that advocates for mandatory rear cameras have filed suit, asking the court to declare that DOT “has unreasonably delayed the rule, and to direct Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to issue the rule within 90 days.” Meanwhile. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has criticized the delays, saying that “the administration needs to move forward with this commonsense safety measure because children’s lives are in jeopardy.”
The Hill reports in its “Regwatch” blog that Henry Jasny, the senior VP and general counsel for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said, “It’s a positive sign that DOT is making progress on the rule in response to our lawsuit, but the process is far from over.” The Hill notes that language from the rule has not been released but that it’s been estimated that the rule will cost $100 million annually to implement.
The Automotive News says that NHTSA has not said “whether its plan for satisfying Congress’ orders has changed,” however, there have been signs that the agency “may not mandate backup cameras in all new light vehicles – an idea the auto industry has protested.”
According to the notice on the White House database, the 2008 law does not require a backup camera in every car, but rather can be satisfied with “additional mirrors, sensors, cameras or other technology to expand the driver’s field of view.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
