Objects Are Closer Than They Appear

          

        There’s a struggle, well a lot of struggles, within the National Highway Traffic Safety     Administration (NHTSA) these days. The one that I am the most concerned with at the moment happens to be the federally mandated backup camera legislation. The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act required all new cars to come equipped with a backup camera by 2014. But, there has been a collection of delays, which has moved the date back to 2018. While adding backup cameras to all vehicles on the road seems like a good thing, I’m a little hesitant on whether the mandate will be as fruitful as advertised.

            Technology is a double-edged sword. Yes, technology does help the majority of people in the automotive world. It has more recently allowed for safer cars and even cars that no longer need drivers. There’s no doubt in my mind that technology creates a safer atmosphere within the automotive field. But technology can also have a negative effect, which people tend to overlook.

            According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006, there were 42,642 road traffic fatalities and 3,305,237 reported non-fatal road traffic injuries in the U.S. This equates to a third place ranking for the highest amount of reported road deaths out of the entire world. While there are many factors that contribute to this astonishingly high number, I believe that a major cause for it can be attributed to our aggressive driving style, which backup cameras wont change. 

              While this may not be the case for every single driver out there, technology acts like a crutch when all you need is a Band-Aid. Owning a car that didn’t have a backup camera made me more aware of my surroundings. Triple checking the environment before shifting into reverse was standard. Now that I have a rearview camera, I full trust it and am not afraid to put it into reverse before looking back. It’ll beep if someone or something is back there, right?

   

         I’ve become so dependent on my backup camera that I don’t even use my mirrors. Who needs them when you have a large bright screen that gives me all the information? I can’t imagine owning another vehicle without a backup camera. And that is the problem with the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act.

      

           I’m all up for saving the lives of people, especially children. But by requiring all vehicles to have backup cameras is a solution that may have other drawbacks. In our haste to save lives, we’re relying on technology that makes us lazy, requires minimal work to use and in the end makes us horrible drivers.

            My proposition includes adding backup cameras, but also extending and intensifying behind the wheel programs. While it may have been some years since I have taken behind the wheel, I don’t recall parallel parking, or any parking for that matter being a part of my exam. Driving without a backup camera makes individuals appreciate technology when they obtain it, instead of heavily relying on it from the beginning. 

          Becoming dependent on technology is inevitable. Mandating that all new vehicles have backup cameras will undoubtedly reduce traffic accidents and deaths. But it will also make drivers worse at driving. People don’t look back before they reverse, don’t bother with adjusting their mirrors and – in the U.S. – are in a constant sense of rush to get to their destination. Even backup cameras come with a warning, but who really pays attention to your surrounds when a machine can do it for you?