HOME: TOP: There's more than one way to benefit from a blind spot mirror or detection technology. But with LaneFX and ParkFX, drivers are using the most advanced safety technology of 2006 to make their daily commutes safer and more stress-free. See and vote on the top 10 ways drivers prefer to use LaneFX over anything else.
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Back-over AccidentsMoms Put ParkFX to the TestThere are no government statistics, but some estimate the family car killed as many as 500 children across the country last year. And the accidents happened in their own driveways. While some may wonder what kind of parent could do that, Rachel Clemens said it could happen to just about anyone. Two years ago, her daughter Adrianna wandered out of her Garland home. That’s when Adrianna's father accidentally backed over the child with his SUV. "He didn't see her," Clemens said. "That was the last day I saw my daughter alive." So, how could you not see a child behind the family car? Three Dallas moms agreed to take a safety test with the understanding that they would not know exactly what the tests were about. While they were distracted filling out a questionnaire, Drivaware and Safe4Kids placed an orange cone about 8-feet behind their vehicles and the drivers were then asked to back up. All three plowed right over the cone. "Did I just run over something?" Adrienne Ludlow as said as she backed up. "Oh, I hit the cone," said Amy Gordon. "I figured it was a branch or something," said Merideth Manning. Drivaware and Safe4Kids measured the blind spot behind each of their vehicles. The Honda Pilot had a blind spot over 30 feet, an Infiniti G35 about 18 feet and a Chevy Tahoe more than 35 feet. The eye-opening experiment had all three women interested in the same thing, which was looking into safety equipment like ParkFX or a rear sensor that beeps faster the closer a driver gets to an object. Safety cameras mounted on the rear of car are also available. The cameras relay a picture of the blind spot to a screen on the dashboard. Both technologies are available on new cars with after-market installation costs less than $500. "I would absolutely buy it, but wouldn't think of it until you came over and showed me how dangerous this could possibly be," Gordon said. Attorney Windle Turley represents the Clemens family, which sued Nissan, the maker of the family's SUV. They claim the technology should have been standard equipment. The case is still pending. "Manufacturers take off this needed safety equipment so they can market their vehicle a little bit lower in price than their competitors; and that's really wrong,” Turley said. The trade group representing automakers says, "the best defense against back-over accidents is to check around the vehicle before you back up." "That does not work and you're sending the wrong signal,” Clemens said. Clemens, and several lawmakers in Washington, support legislation that would require automakers to put back-over safety equipment on all new cars. Experts say it would add up to $200 to the price. "To me, I think to anybody, any parent, the cost is nothing compared to a child's life," Clemens said. There are no official numbers, but one safety group estimates that in Texas more than 90 children have been killed in or around parked vehicles in the last 15 years. |
More Great Gifts For Car NutsCar nuts are tough bunch to understand. Here's a great way to delight them this holiday season.When they start talking about autos, technical terms such as “co-efficient of drag” and “horsepower per liter” come up. The conversation is spirited. Eyeballs roll. Girlfriends leave the room. Allegiances are hotly debated. Are you a Porsche lover, or do you prefer Ferraris? New cars or classic cars? Ford trucks or Chevy trucks? For people who don’t care about cars or don’t understand their loved ones’ obsessions with them, picking out gifts can be a daunting task. Case in point: Executives who love cars are particularly hard to shop for, because their station demands a luxurious--but appropriate--gift. If you’re not sure what to get your car-obsessed dad, be warned: A new keychain or an Exxon Mobil (nyse: XOM - news - people ) gift certificate is not going to thrill him. In Pictures: Great Gifts For Car NutsTo help you please even the pickiest auto enthusiast, we have compiled a list that includes such affordable items as the 30th-anniversary edition of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, as well as Porsche’s new, $120,000 911 Turbo supercar. If you’ve got the cash, you can always give an actual car as a gift. Multimillionaire entrepreneurs who bleed 93-octane blood will be lusting after the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (not cheap at $450,000), but the Daimler Chrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ) Maybach 62 sedan with handcrafted features such as customized leather interiors and monogramming is slightly more affordable at $390,000. But there are plenty of just as fancy auto-related gifts that are more reasonably priced. Ferrari (nyse: FIA - news - people ) makes chronographs, BMW has a line of clothing and golf accessories and Aston Martin makes chessboards. It’s also possible to properly indulge kids who love cars. Forget Matchbox. These days, you can buy your son or daughter an $875 toy Ferrari--an electric car that drives and has a working horn--and give the kid a head start in developing proper cornering, braking and accelerating techniques. Make no mistake: The world of the car nut can be a world of extravagance and privilege. You may not understand your loved one’s interested in motoring, but that shouldn’t stop you from pampering him or her. |
ParkFX For Your SUV - Prevent a TragedyAt least once a week a child in America is run over, typically in backup (reversing) accidentsAre you extra aware and alert when you're in the vicinity of a sport-utility vehicle, van or a pickup truck that's backing up? Are you especially watchful for children when you're behind the wheel of a tall-riding vehicle—be it a van, truck or SUV—and you're backing it up?You should be. According to Consumer Reports, the blind spot behind a tall vehicle such as a Chevrolet Avalanche truck can extend as much as 51 feet in the case of a small-stature driver about 5 feet 1 inches tall. Even for an average-sized driver, 5 feet 8 inches tall, the blind spot can extend nearly 30 feet behind the Avalanche, according to the consumer advice publication. "No one is telling people there's a bigger blind spot in these vehicles," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of the child safety advocacy group Kids and Cars. Pointing out her statistics showing at least one child a week in the United States is killed in a "backover" incident, Fennell urges that some kind of "backover warning and prevention device" be made mandatory on all vehicles. |
Are All Blind Spot Mirrors the Same?No. See Why LaneFX Won the "Drivers Choice" Award by BlindSpotSystems.com
Other areas that are sometimes called blind spots are those that are too low to see behind and in front of a vehicle. Also, in cases where side vision is hindered, areas to the left or right can become blind spots as well. Beware of Setting Your Mirrors "Wide"Mirror alignment is often done incorrectly by drivers. There is a tendency to want to provide context for the side mirror view by having the rear of the driver's own vehicle in the mirror frame. When improperly aligned the side view mirrors widen the perspective offered by rear view mirror, but still not providing full coverage of the blind spot areas around SUV's, light trucks, minivans and even commercial vans. Even with a head-turn, the driver should continue to look forward, in the direction the car is traveling. This is accomplished by using the correct blind spot mirrors or blind spot detection system. Exaggerated head-turns, where the driver actually faces backward for a moment to check the blind spot, are dangerous because the vehicle in front may come to a sudden stop just at that instant resulting in a rear-end collision. |
Compare Backup Sensors & Cameras to ParkFX for the Most Reliable Backup Warning TechnologyNot all reversing aids are equal. The sensing technology and the indicating method are critical to your driving safety. How A Park Assist System Alerts YouOne option is video, which at first seems like a great choice. But one major flaw with having a video camera affixed to the back of your car with a monitor on your dashboard is that it also forces you to look forward while backing up. That can disturb your perception, your reaction time, and feel very unnatural. They are also extremely expensive, and you'll pay thousands of dollars to have a video system attached to your car, whether from the dealer or an aftermarket supplier. Compare that to other bargain basement devices which actually have LED displays (little red lights) on your dashboard. These are cumbersome -- almost useless -- for much the same reason as video: when you drive in reverse, you naturally look behind you, and you'll never see the little red lights. They are also hard to read in bright sunlight. Some other bargain technologies use a tone which beeps more rapidly as you get closer to an obstacle. You can at least hear the relative distance just by listening to the beeps, but you have to practice a bit to really understand how far you are from danger. That's why an audible voice sensor is best. It tells you in a spoken voice exactly how far away you are. Not only do you not have to awkwardly look forward at your dashboard, you'll know without guessing how much further you can safely back up. How A Reversing Aid Detects ObjectsIf you've never seen or used a reversing aid, you might be surprised at how technically advanced they actually can be. Reversing aids use a variety of technologies to sense an object behind the car. Some units use Doppler radar, and others use infrared sensors, but by far the most accurate method of detection is the one the U.S. Navy uses on its submarines: sonar. Sonar can operate in any weather, including direct sunlight or rain. And it doesn't require that the car be moving in order to sense an obstruction. |
Gifts With VroomShopping for a passionate car lover this holiday season? Here are ten vroom-worthy car gifts sure to accelerate excitementAuto advertisements are, without a doubt, at their most unrealistic during the holidays. The clichéd Christmas morning TV spot usually has a gift-receiver quizzically finding a set of keys in a tiny box, then rushing to the window and—surprise!—discovering a previously overlooked new car waiting in the driveway. Sometimes there's even an oversized bow. Probable? Not really. Even setting aside the questionable practicality of such a stunt, gifting a new car is more than unlikely. Deciding on options, colors, and financing decisions, not to mention arranging insurance and title, tends to cull even the strongest inclinations towards holiday whimsy. But car lovers need not despair. The holidays can still be filled with copious auto-related gifts within every budget, from under $25 to way over $10,000. Enthusiasts who get a rise out of practical gifts could have a lot to look forward to in particular—the old jokes about ties and sweaters notwithstanding. There's the low-cost Griffin's iSqueez that just may very well be the easiest and least-expensive automotive retrofit in history. The $9.95 rubber iPod stand molds to fit most cup holders, all without scratching your iPod in the process. Branded BuyingAnd though in the world of auto gifts floor mats are admittedly conservative, for the right person—especially someone who uses the car for work—water and mud-proof mats may prove the gift that keeps on giving day to day. Edge-to-edge full-cuts like the ones made by RubberTite means mats protect the maximum amount of surface area. Other practical gift ideas range widely. There are sophisticated electronics, like the $399 Magellan RoadMate 2000 GPS navigation system and the less expensive $149 PNI Silver Bullet Radar Detector. Then again, there are equally useful low-tech options, like Yakima's SkyBox Pro 21, which enables travelers to carry an additional 21 cubic feet of stuff wherever they go. Hardcore brand loyalists have it made too. That's because the world's most luxurious and exclusive auto nameplates—from Aston Martin to Lamborghini—offer branded accessories and companion products. Such licensed products are often geared toward current owners and niche enthusiasts. They make great gifts whether you're already in the club or still saving up. Two-Wheel FerrariHardcore BMW fans all hail the power-mad "M" signifier. That's because M badged versions of BMW's cars are even sportier and more powerful than the company's regular fare. True enthusiasts can now carry that badge on their wrists with the Tourneau-made M Power Watch for $250. It features classic BMW looks, especially the precision dials. But some brand loyalists need more than a wrist-top reminder of what's waiting for them in the garage. Enter the Ferrari & Colnago CF2 high-performance mountain bike. This is one brand extension that proves adept at its purpose. Like the supercars, the CF2 is made of carbon and light alloys, and it has hydraulic disc brakes. Not to mention a body design worthy of the Ferrari name. Price: about $7,500. Of course, there are still extravagant options for those not fazed by the dealership experience and determined to pull the ultimate surprise. Real enthusiasts will tell you that the Porsche 911 Carrera is the closest man has yet come to engineering perfection in a sports car. And that's why the 911 makes the best over-the-top, all-out car gift. The only difficulty is finding a big enough bow. Price: $72,400. |
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