A new analysis identified that the signature feature of many big rig commercial trucks; the side view mirrors, could disappear if one trucking technology company is successful in their pitch to use digital displays and a system of cameras instead.

According to the company that developed the new technology, the system would improve fuel efficiency as well as driver safety. The mirror-eye system has been used in roads on your Europe since 2016 and the product has been tested in the United States for trucks that still had their mirrors on for approximately three years. The U.S. Department of Transportation received a similar exemption request from the company at the end of 2017.

The way that technology functions are by using individually wired cameras that are connected together to protect from malfunction. They will give the driver views of the ground in either side of the truck, the blind spot in front of the hood and the adjacent lanes. The camera lenses are also heated to protect damage from frost and ice and have a special coating that can resist moisture. Unfortunately, trucking accidents are some of the leading causes of fatalities across the United States and regulator and safety advocates alike have been working towards laws that could help minimize these numbers.

Truck drivers must be able to see in and around their truck in order to avoid accidents. When accidents occur, the driver may be held responsible.