Media Contact: Shane Austin
saustin@saferoads.org
202.425.2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on New Study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Rearview Image Requirements in Mitigating Backover Crashes
(Washington, D.C. | November 9, 2026) – In 2014, the NHTSA issued Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 111 to require rearview cameras on all new vehicles weighing under 10,0000 pounds manufactured on or after May 1, 2018. This action was a major safety victory and a directive of the bipartisan Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 which was passed by the 110th Congress and signed by President George W. Bush.
NHTSA recently released an evaluation of FMVSS No. 111 which estimated that rearview image systems are 65.2 percent effective in preventing pedestrian backover crashes. These results show a clear safety benefit and are further evidence that federal safety standards save lives and prevent injuries. The new study also found higher odds of backover crashes involving light trucks and vans than passenger cars, underscoring the need for additional action. To further improve safety, Congress should require rear automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that detect all vulnerable road users (VRUs) on new vehicles.
In 2024, NHTSA released a set of studies showing over 860,000 lives saved and 49 million nonfatal injuries prevented by FMVSSs from 1968-2019. As such, we call on Congress to require the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue new safety standards for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). The Magnus White and Safe Streets for Everyone Act (H.R. 7353), which would require forward AEB systems to detect more VRUs, in addition to pedestrians, should be passed with urgency by Congress.
We want to thank former Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John Sununu (R-NH), former Representative Peter King (R-NY), Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), the many bipartisan House and Senate cosponsors, Kids and Car Safety and other safety organizations and insurers, and Dr. Greg Gulbransen and the other tireless and fearless families who channeled pain into purpose for their work to advance the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, which led to this lifesaving rearview camera requirement. Countless lives were saved and injuries prevented because of their heroic leadership.
###
About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.