Autoblog

Do costly blind spot systems actually fix a problem that doesn't really exist?

Dan Roth — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:59:00 EST

Before automakers started equipping cars with all sorts of blinking lights and beeping telltales, there were still ways to mitigate blind spots, keep your following distance consistent, and generally avoid accidents. Of course, nobody is going to deny that the public at large seems only mildly interested in steering 3,500 pounds of automobile in between stints on the phone, so the addition of radar-sensing systems like Ford's BLIS or Infiniti's Lane Departure Warning at least reminds inattentive drivers that there's a world on the other side of the glass.

Ford's Steve Kozak, when quizzed about the necessity of blind spot detection systems by The New York Times' Christopher Jensen, concedes that if most drivers adjusted their rearview mirrors in the fashion suggested by engineer George Platzer in a 1995 SAE paper, there'd be virtually no need for BLIS. Platzer suggests leaning far to the left and right while adjusting the respective side mirrors, which should reduce or eliminate any blind spot issues altogether. The reality is, though, that most drivers need all the help they can get. Not only is Ford using the Volvo-developed BLIS, but it's also taken up another of Platzer's mirror ideas, the BlindZoneMirror, as seen on the Ford Edge.

While manufacturers are fitting cars with gadgetry that's little more than a thin panacea to the cancer of inattentive, poorly trained drivers, we want the warning horns going off inside that car drifting into our lane just the same.

[Source: New York Times]

Continue reading Do costly blind spot systems actually fix a problem that doesn't really exist?

Do costly blind spot systems actually fix a problem that doesn't really exist? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford debuts Blind Spot Mirror on '09 Edge

Chris Shunk — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Crossover, Ford

Click above for high-res gallery of 2009 Ford Edge

The blind spot has been a consistent safety issue for automobiles since before the invention of the C-pillar. Some automakers have recently tackled the problem with complicated warning systems that beep when your blind spot is about to cause an accident. Ford is taking a different but no less effective low-tech route with the introduction of its Blind Spot Mirror on the 2009 Edge. The technology behind the Blind Spot Mirror is simple; it's little more than a secondary convex mirror in the top right corner of the traditional side mirror that gives a clear view of what before was only visible by craning your neck left and right. We've seen this type of tech used before on aftermarket mirrors for towing applications, but it makes just as much sense on an unencumbered passenger vehicle.

Ford came up with the mirror in response to its own customer research that showed drivers were 76% more confident behind the wheel when using the mirror. The overwhelmingly positive feedback has led the Blue Oval to introduce the Blind Spot Mirror across its lineup as quickly as possible, starting with the 2009 Edge. Check out Ford's official presser after the jump and view the '09 Edge in our gallery below.

Gallery: 2009 Ford Edge with Blind Spot Mirror

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford debuts Blind Spot Mirror on '09 Edge

Ford debuts Blind Spot Mirror on '09 Edge originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Backup assist, blind spot detection hot; clean diesel not

Chris Tutor — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Hybrid, Green, Safety, Technology, Carsumer Advocacy

J.D. Power and Associates asked 19,000 potential car buyers what they want and what they're willing to pay for. Safety is apparently on the minds of many, with blind spot detection and backup assist taking the top two spots. But once consumers were told blind spot detectors would cost as much as $500, the device fell to No. 4 on the list, while a $300 backup assist jumped to No. 1. And a majority (73%) put in-dash navigation as No. 3 in popularity, but when told they'd have to pay an estimated $1,800 for it, it falls way down to No. 18. Hear that OEMs? Cheap nav is on a bunch of people's wish list.

With gas prices at record highs, 72% of the respondents said they were "probably interested" in a hybrid powertrain and 23% were "definitely interested." When told the system would add $5,000 to the cost of their ride, though, hybrids fall from fifth place to No. 8. Disappointingly, clean diesel technology comes in at the very bottom of the list with only 37% saying they would probably be interested.

We spoke with Mike Marshall, Director of Automotive Emerging Technology at JD Power, who said he was disappointed in the clean diesel interest but not really surprised. "We knew it wouldn't do that well," Marshall said. "One of the biggest things working against diesel is where people are coming from."

Hit the jump to read the rest of our interview and to view the full press release by J.D. Power and Associates.

UPDATE: We spoke to Mike Marshall, not Chris, and the survey queried 19,000 people, not 1,900. We've updated the post to reflect the corrections.

[Source: J.D. Power]

Continue reading Report: Backup assist, blind spot detection hot; clean diesel not

Report: Backup assist, blind spot detection hot; clean diesel not originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Be sure to check your blind spots with ScopeOut

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:34:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Safety

There have been many inventions in the last few years in order to reduce accidents due to that age-old hazard, the blind spot. Some solutions, like the electric systems on some higher-end brands like Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Buick, are rather high-tech and probably prove quite useful. Still, there's something to be said for simple engineering, like Ford's upcoming new Blind Spot Mirror, as seen here. If you are into simple solutions, but won't be purchasing a new Ford any time soon, perhaps you'd be interested in ScopeOut, a new rear-mounted mirror system designed to help see objects in your path. Because it's mounted on the rear glass, the system is visible from your rearview mirror.

Available as either a single-mirror unit for smaller vehicles or a larger dual-mirror unit for large vehicles and SUV's, perhaps the ScopeOut could reduce the thousands of crashes due to the blind spot.

[Source: Sense Technologies via Motorcycle USA]

Be sure to check your blind spots with ScopeOut originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 May 2008 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford to offer new blind spot and hazard detection in 2009

Dan Roth — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:56:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Ford, First Drive

We've all done it; you're halfway through a lane change and suddenly a horn sounds and snaps you to reality. Whether you failed to check your blind spot adequately, or just plain oblivious, Ford's introducing a two features to help you out. The Blind Spot Mirror and Cross Traffic Alert with Blind Spot Monitoring System will arrive in 2009, and one offers a low-tech solution, while the other appears to be a Volvo feature trickling down.

Elegantly simple, the Blind Spot Mirror cleverly integrates a convex mirror into the regular mirror glass, much like the generations-old side-reducing mirrors available in other markets with a concave area to aid in viewing blind spots. The Cross-Traffic alert system uses radar to monitor traffic perpendicular to the back end when reversing. During forward travel, the radar system is used to detect and warn of vehicles traveling in your blind spot. The radar tricks sound to us like Ford leveraging Volvo's BLIS system, that monitors blind spots and lights a pilot LED when there's a vehicle there, and we worry that it will make drivers even less attentive, but then, we realize nobody is paying attention now, so if this rig raises awareness, road safety should improve. Ford's planning on bundling these new safety features along with reverse sensing and rearview cameras to create a more comprehensive portfolio of electronic safety aids in response to customers indicating a desire for better mirrors and safety systems. Press release after the jump

[Source:Ford]

Continue reading Ford to offer new blind spot and hazard detection in 2009

Ford to offer new blind spot and hazard detection in 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz adds radar-based blind spot assist

Siddharth Raja — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:34:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Safety, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz

One of the most common accidents that occurs when merging is when one vehicle -- the one that's changing lanes -- hits another vehicle slightly behind it and to its side because the driver of the first vehicle couldn't see the second one in his mirror. To prevent this from happening, Mercedes-Benz has developed a new safety feature called Blind Spot Assist, which it plans to debut on its S-class and CL-Class models.

Similar to a system already developed by Volvo, the new safety feature employs six short-range radar sensors located in the front and rear bumpers that monitor the zone to the side and rear of the car on both the left and the right. If another car is driving alongside in the blind sport area, the system will display a red warning symbol in the associated side mirror. If the driver ignores the warning and then turns on their indicator, the red warning symbol with start to flash and emit a warning sound inside the car.

While we're sure such systems will prevent accidents, they could lead to a generation of drivers that are largely unaware of vehicles around them and who rely solely on such gadgets to keep them out of trouble.

[Source: Mercedes Benz]

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz adds radar-based blind spot assist

Mercedes-Benz adds radar-based blind spot assist originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buick Lucerne comes equipped with new safety tech

Dan Roth — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Buick, Cadillac, GM

You don't need no stinkin' Volvo to experience BLIS(s) -- for 2008, the Buick Lucerne is fitted with lane departure and blind-spot warning systems. The Lucerne offers classic GM big-sedan ethos, with lots of content, wide, cushy seats and restrained, handsome styling. Now, when you're motorvating down the interstate, listening to your Buick 8, an amber lamp will illuminate in the gauge cluster, and a chime will toll three times to indicate you're about to encroach on someone else's road space. If one of the ever present morons on the road decides to hang out in your blind spot, the Lucerne uses proximity sensors behind the rear fascia to detect the car and warn you with an indicator in the side mirror. Buick's safety gear will also be offered on Cadillac's STS and DTS, making GM Luxury that much safer. Now if they could just develop a "blinker on for the last 60 miles" warning system, or a "stay the hell out of the fast lane if you're doing 53 1/2 MPH" light in the cluster, we'd be good. Okay, okay, we'll admit, the stereotyping is stale. Maybe we're just mellowing with time, but we appreciate the merits of a Lucerne.

[Source: Edmunds]

Buick Lucerne comes equipped with new safety tech originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LaneFX blind spot exposure system lets you see your sides - UPDATED

John Neff — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Blind spot detection systems that warn drivers when a vehicle is playing hide-and-seek in your blindspot using visual and audible alerts have already debuted on production vehicles. Volvo's got such a system on the new S80 and Audi on its Q7. Driveaware is a third-party company that took a different approach than the OEMs when developing its new product called LaneFX. Rather than detecting an oncoming vehicle, LaneFX automatically moves the corresponding power mirror outward to expose a vehicle's blindspot when the turnsignal is activated. The kit can be universally installed on any vehicle with power mirrors and also features ParkFX that tilts the mirrors downward when reverse is engaged. Check out a video of the LaneFX in action here.

UPDATED: Missed an important qualification that LaneFX does not automatically move a side mirror, but only when the turn signal is activated. Also, LaneFX does not claim exclusivity on the technology that allows up-down movement of the mirrors when the car is put in reverse. Oh yeah, the company's name is Driveaware, not DriveAware. Now we return you to your regularly scheduled reading...

LaneFX blind spot exposure system lets you see your sides - UPDATED originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jun 2006 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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