I think it is a good law, we have the technology and the economy of scale will result in a very small incremental cost. It is easy to implement and is very useful for SUV's like the X 5. It also comes in handy if you tow.

Honestly though, how many of those 200 deaths will/can be prevented with cameras, and how many of them were because people are idiots and just plain don't pay attention?

And is it a societal gain to spend $1.9 billion to save just 200 lives? Would that $1.9 billion have a greater gain to society by spending it on making other safety equipment manditory instead?

I saw that, sorry I was unclear, but i was wondering how many really could be prevented. Even if these cars now have these back up cams or mirrors, we can't guarantee people using them correctly or even using it at all. This may come out a bit harsh, but for the relatively small amount of deaths, this law seems to go a bit overboard.

That's it, I'm making it a goal to move to Germany.

If the US passes that rear-view camera mandate, we'll be the laughingstock of the world. I can imagine the bar conversations

"Did you hear about those Americans? They're such bad drivers that they passed a law requiring a back-up camera so they don't run over children."

Don't worry they plan to display distance in metric units.