Modern cars are essentially rolling computers, with chips and code controlling everything from your engine to your entertainment. The level of technology is so advanced that we may one day soon see drivers rendered irrelevant. And yet we're still using small squares of reflective glass to see what's behind us.

That's about to change. High-def cameras streaming video to small dashboard displays are coming to cars, and Telsa Motors and a dozen other automakers are leading the way.

On the same day that federal regulators announced that all new vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds must be equipped with back-up cameras beginning May 1, 2018, Tesla and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers called for the feds to allow some flexibility to mirror requirements. The automakers are calling on the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to change the 1968 rule that requires passenger vehicles to have a mirror on the door and another on the windshield and instead allow cameras to replace them.

They argue this would increase safety by providing a wider field of view, and fuel efficiency by making cars more aerodynamic. It turns out sticking a piece of glass in a chunk of plastic on each door really cuts into efficiency.

"The Alliance is petitioning NHTSA to allow automakers to remove side-view mirrors and replace them with cameras that may expand side vision while increasing fuel efficiency," the Auto Alliance said in a release.

Cameras have been a staple of concept cars since the early 1990s, but only recently have they become cheap and reliable enough for the real world. Volkswagen brought a camera-based system to market with its hyper-efficient, 271-mpg XL1 last year, but the car is only available in Germany and Austria. Strict mirror requirements are one of many reasons you can't get an XL1 anywhere else.

Photo: Volkswagen Photo: Volkswagen

That said, many automakers already use cameras to supplement traditional mirrors. Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, for example, have systems that provide a bird's-eye view of the car using cameras mounted on the front and rear bumpers and underneath the mirrors. Cameras are also used to track the lines in the road and alert the driver–or even correct the steering–if the vehicle begins to drift outside the lane.

But Tesla and the Auto Alliance–which represents a dozen major automakers, including the biggest in the United States and Germany–are more interested in aerodynamic benefits that will reduce fuel consumption.

"Side mirrors do impact vehicle aerodynamics and fuel economy of vehicles," says Don Anair of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "If deemed a safe alternative to conventional mirrors, the use of cameras could help in reducing fuel consumption."

The science backs it up. In Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles, Wolf-Heinrich Hucho said exterior side view mirrors increases total aerodynamic drag by an average of 2 to 7 percent. That might not sound like much, but automakers are under increasing pressure to improve fuel efficiency. Eliminating mirrors is one of many tricks they're counting on.

Should automakers succeed in getting the rules changed, we could see interior mirrors replaced by screens, as seen on Audi's R8 etron concept and R18 etron race car. Combined with camera-based systems for exterior mirrors, automakers could completely eliminate blind spots by using a wide angle lens and image processing to provide a far wider field of vision than traditional mirrors. And they can place the screens where it's most easily seen by the driver–as opposed to mirrors, which must be positioned to afford the best rearward view.

Photo: Audi Photo: Audi

Granted, one reason we still use mirrors is they're essentially idiot-proof. They're also cheap, reliable, durable, and easy to replace. They don't crash, they don't suffer from latency, and they can't be hacked. But as simple and effective as they've been, mirrors offer a limited view, and aren't optimally placed for a quick glance. None of the mods and hacks–from those convex mirrors you stick in the corner to those weird five-panel mirrors that span the interior–have really improved the situation.

Now that cameras offer high-def resolution in packages small and cheap enough to slap on a bike helmet and even a smartphone has the computing power to process video, it's inevitable that mirrors will go the way of crank starters and cassette decks.

"As the high-tech and automotive worlds merge we'll see many traditional, rudimentary vehicle features supplanted by more advanced technology," says Kelley Blue Book’s Senior Insights Director Karl Brauer. "Exterior mirrors are a logical near-term target for replacement."

An international consortium has been evaluating the effectiveness of cameras since 2010 and wants to outline standards for future applications. That includes ensuring any such systems start as soon as the driver turns on the car and they represent the surrounding environment as accurately as a mirror.

But even if the technology meets international standards and survives the long, slow process of federal approval, there's still all the state laws that require mirrors. California, for example, requires every vehicle to have at least two mirrors. The Auto Alliance is recommending that any change to the federal law would supersede state laws.

"If NHTSA grants a compliance option that involves camera-based systems as an alternative to mirror-based systems," the Alliance states, "the compliance option would be applicable to 'the same aspect of performance,' and thus would preempt any inconsistent state laws."

Getting the rules changed will be a huge effort, and Tesla doesn't have much time if it wants to proceed with its plan for the Model X. The crossover utility vehicle–think station wagon on steroids–slated for production next year has no mirrors at all. Instead, there's a small camera on each door where you'd expect to see a big mirror. CEO Elon Musk is not a man who likes to compromise on technology or design, and Tesla is eager to see the rules changed as quickly as possible. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesman Nathan Naylor said the agency is taking the request seriously.