The announcement was made by Marc Garneau, Canada’s Minister of Transport. The Minister was speaking at Le Trillium Public Elementary in Ottawa and it was no coincidence Garneau chose Halloween to make the announcement to a group of young children.
Garneau was joined by by Ian Jack of the Canadian Automobile Association and Edith Dumont of the Public School Board of Eastern Ontario. Garneau told the students, many of whom were dressed as astronauts, Garneau’s previous profession, that Oct. 31 was a good day to make the announcement. Halloween is the day when the importance of safety is highlighted because of the number of children who are out on the street on that day.
Garneau said “I’m not one for tricks but I do like giving treats and one of the best ones I can give this Halloween is to make rear-view cameras and displays standard equipment on all new vehicles including base models.” He went on to say this is one of the best safety technology available to reduce back-up collisions.
According to Transport Canada, more than 1,500 injuries and 27 deaths resulted from back-up collisions in Canada between 2004 and 2009. The purpose of the new regulations is to protect vulnerable people such as children, the elderly, pedestrians and cyclists from these types of accidents.
Transport Canada recognizes the North American car market is integrated and the new regulations will be aligned with those currently in force in the United States. In 2002, Dr. Greg Gulbransen of Long Island accidentally ran over his two-year-old son. As a result of that collision, five years later the U.S. passed legislation requiring rear-view mirrors be improved to allow drivers to better see what is behind them. In 2014, this law was further amended by requiring the area a driver is able to see while backing up be increased. The only way manufacturers can meet this requirement is to install back-up cameras and video systems.
The new Canadian regulations will apply to all light duty vehicles weighing less than 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs) and will include small buses, three-wheeled vehicles and even low-speed vehicles such as golf carts. When a vehicle is in reverse, drivers must be able to see an area of 20 feet by 10 feet directly behind them.
The new regulations were published in the Canada Gazette on Oct. 31. Canadians will have 75 days from that date to comment before they become finalized.
