It is crazy how many things are downstream of the structural issue where US regulations favor ginormous SUVs and pickups where this is a problem, but if we introduced legislation to fix this we would end up ruining US automakers which have pivoted almost entirely to this segment alone

> In the US, no. Backup cameras are required by federal law as of 2018.

Backup cameras are required for new vehicles in a lot of markets: EU, Canada, Japan, and more.

So it's not just a US requirement.

The Slate truck has a small backup camera integrated into the gauge cluster, and many vendors implement it in the rearview mirror itself.

It doesn't need to be a giant infotainment display.

Backup cameras do contribute significantly to safety, to the point that I installed one in my 2002 vehicle with a cheap aftermarket head unit. The important thing to realize is that all the modern conveniences can be decoupled from the drivetrain. My $50 Android head unit does basically all the things that the OEM head unit on our 2018 vehicle does. It even does many things better.

The problem with modern cars is that everything is so heavily integrated and proprietary. If I swapped out the OEM touchscreen, apparently I would also lose the ability to set the clock on my instrument cluster. Now that this has become normalized, automakers have realized they can lock Android Auto/CarPlay behind a paywall and you’ll have no recourse but to buy one of those tablets that you stick on your dashboard and plug into the aux port. If your car still has an aux port.

I’m excited for the Slate, but unfortunately I have the feeling that the people who buy new cars aren’t the same people that want the Slate. The rest of us who keep our 20+ year old vehicles reliably plugging along don’t make any money for automakers.

Backup cameras are great for people who wear glasses. My visual cone is narrower, so I effectively have to turn my head 180° to see accurately enough, otherwise it's just a blur.

Cameras are required, but not displays :~)

Ford has the backup camera integrated with the mirror. So it is possible to have a dumb simple display vs an infotainment system.

> The intent of the law was to reduce the number of children killed by being backed over because the driver couldn't see them behind the car.

Wish they would do that for all the trucks with 5ft high hoods with no cameras.

Yet everyone drives a truck and are incapable of seeing a child infront of their vehicle.