The U.S. Department of Transportation is betting on technology to cut down on the number of vehicle accidents each year.

A new government regulation will require all new vehicles that weigh less than 10,000 pounds to have built-in rear-view cameras by 2018, reported TIME. The regulation will apply to all model year 2019 vehicles, including buses and trucks, manufactured after May 1, 2018, according to the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

On average, more than 200 deaths and 15,000 injuries are caused yearly by vehicles trying to back up, and children and seniors typically represent the most vulnerable populations, reported TIME. Rear visibility technology could save as many as 69 lives each year, according to NHTSA officials.

"Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents — our children and seniors," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "As a father, I can only imagine how heart wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today's rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents."

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