Posted on 12/07/2010 9:36:26 PM PST by Nachum
Thought that new car was expensive now? Wait till the Department of Transportation implements its latest plan to protect Americans from themselves.
Last week, the department announced regulations that would require all new vehicles to install video cameras on their back bumpers. The idea is to make backing up safer, and it’s not optional. “To meet the requirements of the proposed rule,” reads a DOT release, “10 percent of new vehicles must comply by Sept. 2012, 40 percent by Sept. 2013 and 100 percent by Sept. 2014.”
Three years ago, Congress passed the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, named after a Connecticut toddler whose father backed over him in the driveway. Video cameras are one consequence of the law. According to a spokesman for Ford, the cameras will cost consumers up to $400 apiece. The total cost of equipping the country’s vehicles could reach $2.7 billion.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Just another dictate from our alphabet soup overlords.
I’m wondering what companies stand to gain from selling these cameras.
What happens to otherwise sane individuals when they win an election, get to Washington, and are installed in Congress? Is there something in the water? I mean, how do bills like these ever get majority votes for passage in both houses? Clearly lack of parental oversight, and careless driving habits, are to blame for accidents such as these, not the absence or presence of video cameras! No amount of mandated hardware is ever going to mitigate parental bad habits, laziness, haste, absent-mindedness and just plain carelessness .
The next rule should make every car a Porche 911.
PORSCHE! PORSCHE!
... please.
Well I will always be buying used anyway.
Individual responsibility is omitted. Good drivers check to see if a kid is in the back before they back out of a driveway. A bumper camera will lead people to have a false sense of security. They don’t work all the time - especially at night. But try telling that to DOT bureaucrats.
Very few people are killed in backover accidents. The cost of equipping a car to prevent something that will likely never happen is crazy. Just now much do we want to spend to prevent every conceivable auto accident?
I’m a free market guy and don’t like the idea of government dictating what should be made and the regulatory democracy nauseates me. But these cameras, when combined with sensors are really fabulous. They definitely increase safety. But the industry is well on its way to adopting this technology and didn’t need to be told to do it. You find them on most mini-vans, crossovers and suv’s. This is clearly a case of the government getting ahead of the curve and trying to look like its leading.
Par for the course. 1 idiot does something stupid, and everyone is to blame. It’s yet another sign of stinking liberalism.
A new trend and it doesn’t bode well for car companies. For years they have come up with creative ways to make cars affordable. Cars are just too expensive.
Very wise.
KLBJ in Austin had this on last week. They quoted a total of 292 people are killed in the US by drivers backing up. I wanted to call in and ask if anyone in this area ever goes to defensive driving schools any more. I do it for a 10% reduction on insurance.
One of the things they teach in EVERY class, is to back into parking spaces and driveways, since you know it is empty. Then you can safely pull forward when leaving. Also, pull through one parking space into the front one, if there are no curbs or parking blocks. Believe me, I HUNT for those, even if they are a long way from the store entrance.
Probably companies owned by some buddies of Zero the Magnificent.
Like the quiz. Lol.
Which would you prefer to visit?
* Iceland
* Las Vegas
A few of my favorite things are:
* Folding envelopes
* Rock and roll music
I like to sleep in:
* Flannel pajamas
* The nude
......
Is this where I admit that I owned a “K” car? :)
*******
Seriously, lol, if I can be at this point...
Who really needs electric locks and windows. And a standard transmission is just fine for me. And airconditioning may be optional in some more northern states. I live in Colorado.
Just don't compromise on quality. I am tired of a car wearing out shortly after 100K miles. I expect a car to last well above 200K miles if I maintain it properly. But that defeats the purpose, doesn't it. Means they can sell fewer cars.
BTW, I own a Model A. About as basic as you can get.
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