Rear-view cameras have become more common in vehicles since they first appeared on the market in high-end luxury vehicles and SUVs, but they will soon be in more cars. The New York Times reports that federal auto safety regulators have decided to require the cameras in all new vehicles by 2014. This measure was first proposed in 2010, and it is expected to go to final vote in Congress this week.

"We haven't done anything else to protect pedestrians," Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, told the Times. "This is one thing we can and should do."

Each week, an average of two children are killed and another 48 are injured because drivers cannot see them as they are backing up, according to Kids and Cars, the nonprofit organization that first drew Congress's attention to these types of safety issues. The hope is that having the cameras in more cars will reduce the number of unnecessary accidents.

Consumer Reports states that every vehicle has a rear blind spot, the area directly behind the car and below the rear window, which can range from 25 feet for a minivan and up to 50 feet for a pickup truck. It may be easy to see an adult walking behind the vehicle, but small children could be standing upright 24 feet away from the car and drivers would have a hard time noticing.

Some new vehicles are equipped with proximity sensors that increase beep frequencies when nearing an object, but they do not define whether the object is a person.

Drivers who want to get behind the wheel of a used SUV or luxury sedan that is already equipped with a backup camera can head to New Jersey State Auto Auction. NJ Auto offers a wide variety of makes and models, and every car is CARFAX certified, so consumers know they're driving away in a safe, reliable ride.