Rules to prevent car back-over deaths delayed

WASHINGTON — Federal officials say they will delay until the end of the year issuing regulations aimed at preventing car and truck drivers from backing over children.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday that it needs more time for “study and data analysis” before it can issue regulations. The agency proposed more than a year ago that automakers include rear-mounted video cameras with in-vehicle display on all cars and light trucks by the 2014 model year. NHTSA estimates about 300 people a year are killed in backovers, half of them children.

Auto industry lobbyists urged in documents presented to the White House in December that the government allow manufacturers the option of including expanded mirrors rather than cameras. They estimated requiring cameras would cost the industry $2.7 billion annually.