The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is considering a regulation exemption that would allow a company to use replace a semi truck’s two rear-vision mirrors with camera technology.
The request for the exemption was made by Stoneridge Inc., a company that manufactures electronic components for commercial vehicles.
They have asked the FMCSA for an exemption that would allow commercial vehicles to operate with the company’s MirrorEye Camera Monitor System (CMS) instead of the two rear-vision mirrors required by federal law.
From the FMCSA:
Stoneridge explained that it has developed, tested and manufactured the CMS to improve CMV safety by providing driver with an enhanced field of view around the cab of the truck. The company states that its MirrorEye CMS meets the performance requirements provided for conventional mirrors under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s standards which are cross-referenced by the FMCSRs. Stoneridge believes the exemption would maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved without the exemption because CMS meets or exceeds the performance requirements for traditional mirrors.
Stoneridge argues that its CMS provides greater field of view than traditional mirrors, along with fail-safe design, enhanced vision quality, and improved fuel economy. Stoneridge has also suggested that the camera systems will cut down on driver fatigue because it will require “less head movement by drivers compared to the number of head movement needed to use conventional mirrors.”
The FMCSA is accepting public comments on the proposed exemption through May 7.