For all of you saying this is stupid, shouldn't be mandated, and the obligatory "Don't Tread on Me", just remember back to when seat beats weren't mandated. People bitched and moaned about having to pay for this expensive upgrade (at the time). "I don't need seat belts, all that safety talk is bullshit, seat belts cause deaths, they don't save them" . . . seriously, go back and look it up. Now, could you imagine cars without even an option for seat belts? Think about how many lives that single addition has saved. The now-mandatory third brake light was also one of these things where they were mandated, increased safety, and didn't increase the price of the vehicle.

I've had a Prius since 2006, which had the the standard back-up camera installed. This has come in very handy in not running over bikes, scooters, or things I might not be able to see that are below the window visibility. As a side note, also makes it damn easy to parallel park, as you can see just how much room you have behind you. There are a lot of benefits, both safety and convenience, but mainly if it means saving lives then it should be standard equipment for sure. And, again, we're talking about parts that are most likely not even 1-2% of the total price of the car.

You don't like it, don't freakin' drive. Just that many less cars for me to have to deal with in morning traffic.