Which SUVs have rear view cameras and which cars need them?

THE price of a new car with a rear view camera has hit a new low of just $14,990. But why don’t all SUVs have them as a standard safety feature?

OCTOBER, 2005 : Rear-view camera for Ford Territory Ghia AWD 10/05. Motor Vehicle

SAFETY authorities have renewed calls to make rear view cameras standard on family cars.

The price of a brand-new car with a rear view camera has limboed to a new low, just $14,990, with the arrival of the new Honda Jazz hatchback.

The price undercuts the previous low set by the Toyota Corolla sedan, introduced six months ago for $20,700, which comes with a rear view camera and parking sensors.

The improved affordability of the technology has prompted experts to ask why rear view cameras are still not fitted as standard to Australia’s top-selling family-sized SUVs.

Rear view cameras are not available on the most affordable versions of the Ford Territory or Holden Captiva 7 — they’re standard only on the most expensive versions, typically priced in excess of $40,000 — even though every Toyota Kluger has had a rear view camera since 2007.

Figures from Federal safety authorities show that almost 100 children aged up to 4 years were killed in driveways or car parks between 2001 and 2010 — about 10 per year — and more than 500 kids were seriously injured over the same period.

RELATED: Federal study reveals driveway deaths 2001-2010

MORE: Toyota Corolla gets a rear view camera as standard

VIDEO: Rear view cameras mandatory in the US in 2018

“There shouldn’t be a price on safety,” said Christine Erskine, the executive officer of Kidsafe NSW.

Extra pair of eyes ... the rear view camera in a Toyota Lexus.

“Although nothing replaces active supervision and knowing exactly where your kids are, we would expect in this day and age that family safety would be a primary focus of family cars, irrespective of price range.”

The executive director of the Australian Automobile Association, Andrew McKellar, said: “It is frustrating that at times there is a slowness in taking up safety technology and this is an example of that.

“We would like to see all manufacturers acting quickly and responsibly to take up safety technologies. We want to see greater availability (or rear view cameras) across the top-selling models.”

A statement from Holden said the company planned to fit rear view cameras as standard on all Captiva 7s “later this year”.

Ford Australia spokesman Wes Sherwood said: “We will continue to roll out rear view cameras on more new vehicles and work with our dealers to offer Ford-approved systems for models that do not yet have factory offerings.”

The boss of Honda Australia says rear view cameras should be standard on most cars.

“We think it really needs to be standard equipment these days,” said Honda Australia boss Stephen Collins.

“As the (sales) volume increases, it enables us to make rear-view cameras available on cheaper cars.”

THE SHAME FILE:

SUVs without rear-view cameras across their entire ranges in 2014

*Audi Q3 (camera optional on all versions)

*Audi Q5 (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*BMW X1 (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Ford Ecoboost (camera not available on any model)

*Ford Kuga (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Ford Territory (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Holden Captiva 7 (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Hyundai ix35 (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Jeep Compass (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Jeep Patriot (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Kia Sportage (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Land Rover Freelander (camera only the most expensive versions)

*Land Rover Discovery (camera only the most expensive versions)

*Nissan Patrol diesel (camera not available)

*Toyota LandCruiser (camera only on the most expensive versions)

*Volkswagen Tiguan (camera only on the most expensive versions)

Getting a better look ... the rear view camera can help drivers more than we might imagine.

THE HONOURS LIST:

SUVs with rear-view cameras across their entire ranges in 2014

*Audi Q7

*BMW X3

*BMW X5

*Holden Colorado 7

*Honda CR-V

*Holden Trax

*Hyundai Sante Fe

*Jeep Cherokee

*Jeep Grand Cherokee

*Kia Sorrento

*Lexus LX

*Lexus RX

*Mazda CX-5

*Mazda CX-9

*Mercedes-Benz GLA

*Mercedes-Benz ML-Class

*Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

*Mitsubishi ASX

*Mitsubishi Challenger

*Mitsubishi Outlander

*Mitsubishi Pajero

*Nissan Dualis

*Nissan Pathfinder

*Nissan Patrol V8 petrol

*Nissan X-Trail

*Range Rover Sport

*Range Rover Vogue

*Suzuki Grand Vitara

*Toyota RAV4

*Toyota Kluger

*Toyota Prado

*Volkswagen Touareg

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling