Do The Math: New Backup Camera Rules Estimated To Cost $19.7 Million Per Life Saved

I have no problem with that - that comes up to about, what between $60 (if car already has LCD screen) to $150 more per car? If people don't want to pay the additional $100 for a new car with rear camera, just get a pre-owned one.

I'm more pissed off about special fuel mixes that add about $.40 per gallon every time I fuel up in California. That's at least $10 per month, $120 per year. Would much rather pay for a back up camera than this nonsense. No other state has followed this special fuel mix requirement.

Forgot to include rear-end and mailbox damages saved.

What's the "total cost per life saved" for for seat-belts or ABS? Talk about a stupid way of looking at things!

Seatbelt and airbags probably save tens of thousands annually, and they are passive devices, click and that is it. There are 40,000 annual traffic accident deaths in the US.

You actually have to look at a camera while backing up to save a life, and even then the latest quoted statistics show 2 deaths a week due to the issue. You can argue that if the person was looking in the first place most deaths would not happen, and a certain percentage of the vehicles involved were vehicles that already had a camera.

So where do you focus? At 100 deaths annually or 40,000 for basically the same cost?

'009: I can't argue hard numbers (in the article) versus speculation (in your response). Come back with actual dollar and number figures instead of "probably" and "should", and then we can make an apples-to-apples comparison.

Steve-
Numbers of fatalities each year in backovers:
http://www.kidsandcars.org/back-overs.html
two (2) children are fatally injured every WEEK

Numbers of deaths in general:
http://www.ehs.okstate.edu/kopykit/seatbelt.htm
40,000 people die each year in car accidents

Of course everywhere you look there will be minor variations, but in general the numbers are very close.

009: So where are the costs (for seatbelts and ABS) per life saved for the apples-to-apples comparison?

Could be $19.7 trillion Per Life Saved. Still would be worth it. Lives are more important than money.

I love the dreamers. Yes in a perfect world no one should ever think a death is acceptable. But we don't live in a perfect world, costs have to be weighed.

Well, you are weighing them wrong. Your kid is worth more than all the fokken money.

Well I always look. I believe in taking the time to be a parent and responsible driver. While it won't prevent all accidents it does prevent the needless ones.

I drive a lot variety of different cars with and with out backup cameras, I find this the most worthless option going. I NEVER use them do even think to look at them. I have two mirrors and no how to look behind me.

You have to use them to be effective. Just yesterday I watched a SUV with a backup cam back into a shopping cart. The driver claims she didn't see it though she had a cam.. More like she didn't look.

"Between 11.8 and 19.7 million" (if you read the article)

Still, how much will this save people from backing into things and causing other damage. Somebody above mentioned mailboxes. Think of the other cars that may be parked in a driveway, or on the street when parallel parking. Injuries that aren't fatal (medical bills for the estimated 7000 injuries avoided), etc. The cameras have their benefits. The cost doesn't seem unreasonable either. 200 dollars being the high estimate of the cost per vehicle. Seems reasonable to me.

Anyone with kids will get this immediately. This has nothing to do with being idealistic, a dreamer, or naive. It is simply a responsibility. A responsibility that obviously some people here aren't able to grasp.

If we took 009's "hard stance" on things we would be back in the stone ages.

How many people hit guard rails everyday? Probably not enough to justify the barriers and rails throughout the country from a cost-benefit standpoint...

How many people fall asleep at the wheel and are awaken by the sound and vibration of their tires rolling over the rumble strips on the highways? Probably not enough to justify the construction from a strict cost-benefit standpoint...

How many people drop blow-dryers in the tub everyday? Probably not enough to justify the mandated use of GFCI outlets from a strict cost-benefit standpoint...

...I could easily rip off a hundred of these but a few examples should suffice to illustrate my point. People always complain about the government and regulations but sometimes that is exactly what it takes to protect consumers from entities that employ a strictly profit driven model.

I take the hard stance simply because needless regulation should not replace common sense. Remember, I live in Texas and we do not rely on the state or fed to protect us from our own irresponsibility.

If you can't walk the walk then don't talk the talk.

009: So where are the costs (for seatbelts and ABS) per life saved for the apples-to-apples comparison?