Canadian Minister of Transport Marc Garneau has proposed new regulations that will require rear-visibility systems on all new vehicles sold in Canada from May 2018 to provide all new car owners with improved visibility to spot people and objects behind a vehicle when they reverse; "this helps children be seen and provides Canadians with one of the best safety technology systems to reduce back-over collisions," Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement.
It estimates that such accidents killed 27 people and injured more than 1,500 from 2004 to 2009.
"The objective of this proposal is to align the Canadian and United States* safety regulations, to provide Canadians with the same level of protection under the law related to back-over crashes offered to residents of the United States and to satisfy vehicle manufacturers' call to eliminate regulatory differences between Canada and the United States," Transport Canada said.
*The United States made a similar announcement in 2014, with a 2018 deadline for compliance.