I feel for the folks who live in states where making a hitch "illegal" is actually a priority. To think that these folks actually get elected, you have to wonder about the people who elect them. If you are that close to the vehicle in front of you, then you deserve to get the hitch buried in your hood. As far as 5 mph bumpers go, does anyone here actually think that the receiver assembly is going to "give". Those few inches of hitch will actually absorb quite an impact as it is penetrating the hood of the vehilce that hit it.
I have been hit a few times with my hitch in the receiver over the last few decades. One guy actually did a "hit and run". I'll bet he didn't have a license or insurance, but the impact put the "hurt" to the front of his car. As hard as he hit my truck, I would hate to think of the damage and impact if I hadn't kept the hitch installed.
Think about how absurd this idea it. What are they going to require of a medium duty truck or a semi truck with the rear hitch assembly?
The majority of the people who would be complaining about hitches are the ones that hit them. The only down side is the damage done by the truck with a hitch when backing up, if they accidentally hit someone. That is what insurance is for. Besides, the odds of being rear ended is much greater than backing into someone. In all the years of driving, I have never backed my hitch into someone else. I have been rear ended several times.
Also, with the technology of backup cameras and warning devices, the rate of accidents while backing up will probably go down.
