April 1, 2014—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Monday issued a final rule requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles by May 2018.

The final rule requires all vehicles under 10,000 pounds, including buses and trucks, manufactured on or after May 1, 2018 to come equipped with rear visibility technology.

The field of view must include a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle and meet other requirements including image size, linger time, response time, durability and deactivation.

Including vehicles that already have systems installed, NHTSA said that 58 to 69 lives are expected to be saved each year once the entire on-road vehicle fleet is equipped with rear visibility systems meeting the requirements of today's final rule.