Ford Motors to install rear view cameras by end of 2011
Ford Motors will complete the installation of rear view cameras on all Ford Lincoln models by the end of 2011 to eliminate the fatal blind zones, the car maker said in a statement.
Ford is making new innovations such as the Rear View Camera System available to a wide range of customers in most of our vehicles to help them see better when reversing, said Jim Buczkowski, director of electrical and electronics systems engineering at Ford.
Our research shows that visibility is one of the biggest customer concerns today, which is why we are the only company to offer a Rear View Camera System, Blind Spot Mirrors and the radar-based Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic system.
Ford's Rear View Camera System image is overlaid with lines that mark the width of the vehicle and are shown either on a rear-view mirror display or navigation system screen, the car maker said in a statement.
The rear view camera installation among all the carmakers is gaining momentum, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a new safety regulation that would essentially require rearview back-up cameras in all new cars, pickups and SUVs by 2014.
Legislation called Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, passed in 2007, demands the rule. The act was named after a 2-year-old boy, who was killed when his father accidentally backed over him in the family's driveway.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's estimates on average, 292 fatalities and 18,000 injuries occur each year as a result of back-over crashes involving all vehicles. Of these, 228 fatalities involve light vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less. The agency said that small children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Of those killed each year: 44% are under the age of 5, and 33% are over the age of 70.
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