scope:

SUMMARY:

NHTSA seeks public comment on permitting camera-based rear visibility systems, commonly referred to as ''Camera Monitor Systems'' or ''CMS,'' as an alternative to inside and outside rearview mirrors. Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 111, ''Rear Visibility,'' currently requires that vehicles be equipped with rearview mirrors to provide drivers with a view of objects that are to their side or to their side and rear. This notice responds to two rulemaking petitions from manufacturers seeking permission to install CMS, instead of outside rearview mirrors, on both light vehicles and heavy trucks. This ANPRM builds on the agency's prior efforts to obtain supporting technical information, data, and analysis on CMS so that the agency can determine whether these systems can provide the same level of safety as the rearview mirrors currently required under FMVSS No. 111.