How you view the road behind you while you drive is about to change.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved General Motors' rear camera mirror on Monday, which can display an 80-degree view behind the vehicle. The mirror also cuts out all visual obstructions, like the rear seat headrests, allowing for an unobstructed field of view.
When I drove both the Chevrolet Bolt EV at CES in January that goes on sale late in 2016 and then the Cadillac CT6 later that month that hits showrooms in a few weeks, I was delighted to discover both cars featured a hybrid review mirror that, with the flip of a switch, could display either the image from a digital camera or the reflection in the mirror.
But until this week, the technology had not been approved by government safety regulators. The NHTSA approved the rear camera mirror -- referred to in the letter as "Full Display Mirror" -- in a letter to General Motors on Monday, according to a tweet from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
@AutoblogGreen @NPR - #NHTSA has OK’d GM rear-view system that can switch between mirror & camera views. pic.twitter.com/6CBeIit10v— Anthony Foxx (@SecretaryFoxx) February 22, 2016
The letter suggests that NHTSA wasn't even sure GM was seeking its approval for the rear camera mirror — that is, until GM clarified it. At that point, NHTSA essentially responded with the legal equivalent of "oh yeah, that's fine."
Regulators determined that since the device -- though innovative -- still could operate as an "inside rearview mirror," which is stipulated by law, it was within compliance.
While the rear camera mirror does require drivers to refocus their eyes drastically more than with a mirror, it offers such a broad, uninhibited rear view.