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Keeping an Eye on Blind Spots
Many accidents occur when a driver tries to change lanes on a highway without being aware that a vehicle is in his "blind spot." For 2007, Audi and Volvo are addressing
this dilemma with two systems that can detect vehicles that a driver might not see on either side of his car. Both systems use LED displays near each outside rearview mirror to warn a driver that
he shouldn't attempt a lane change because a vehicle is in or is rapidly approaching a car's blind spot. Audi's Side Assist system, which made its debut in the new 2007 Q7 SUV, uses radar to detect
other vehicles. Volvo's Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) available on the new S80 sedan due in early 2007, uses cameras. |
Basic Auto Safety Facts
Plus the Economic Benefits of the LaneFX Blind Spot Exposure System
- According to the US government's Department of Transportation, 1 out of 25 collisions on America's highways is due to improper
lane change / lane merge. That's 630,000 accidents annually and almost 2% of which are fatal. The estimated annual insurance cost of these collisions $2.3B not accounting for economic
loss. There are no specific statistics on whether these numbers improve by use of conventional convex blind spot mirrors or even
by the driver setting the side mirrors wide.
- Second, consider the driver awareness benefit. By eliminating the average of 2 seconds of a complete head turn / blind spot check, LaneFX can afford you over 205ft of advance emergency
stopping/maneuvering distance. This could be a life-saving or accident avoidance distance.
- Thirdly, let's approach this from a competitive landscape: The blind spot detection segment has just recently begun heating up
at the OEM and teir-1supplier level. University of Michigan's Center for Automotive Research (CAR) study of emerging technologies, automotive
executives from around the world have predestined a 10% market penetration of blind spot detection systems by MY06. So far this figure has been lagging a bit, but there is evidence of momentum
building up in this area. Volvo has recently announced their blind spot detection system called BLIS and Audi has launch its Lane Assists
passive system on its brand new Q7 SUV. As matter of fact, Volvo's VP of marketing in the BLIS systems' media preview indicated that that "blind
spot problem solution is the number of asked for feature by Volvo owners." Volvo in this detection system chose to use pattern/image recognition technology as their chosen horse for
this race. Raytheon and Valeo-Sylvania, two heavy hitters in the teir-1 supplier arena have joined forces to develop a sonar-based detection system under contract with one auto OEM. In both instances
Volvo and other system are passive detection systems. Here's what's public from Volvo's own press release: "Because the system is camera based, it not work in the rain, snow, fog, or at
night." When Automotive Week and Auto Blog test drove the BLIS system,
they encountered a disproportionate number of false positives when driving by a row of parked cars or in the left-most lane on the highway against a concrete divider wall." K.
Malhas, inventor of LaneFX expressed his opinion on this design approach as follows: "It's difficult for to understand why the one automotive manufacturer that has coined its existence
on occupant safety would release a system that does not appear to have been well-though out." But it actually gets worse from there, estimated price for the system is $1,200 that's
over 800% the suggested retail price of a complete LaneFX package and, according to Volvo if the its alert mechanism - a small orange light
on the inside of the A-pillar - becomes "too annoying" to the driver, the driver has a switch to turn it off! Unbelievable!
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Don't Forget About Your Backup Blind Spots
Available ParkFX is the best park assist system to show you the parking boundaries and dangers around you when you're backing up
Kids ‘N Cars, a consumer organization working to make it safer for children to be around cars, is calling attention to the problem of the blind spot--that area behind the vehicle that you can’t
see from the driver’s seat. The organization notes that at least 58 children were backed over and killed last year alone.
How big can the backup blind spot be? We measured a sedan, minivan, SUV, and pickup to find out. We used a 28-inch-high traffic cone, measuring how far behind the vehicle it would have to be before an
average (5 feet 8 inches) and short (5 feet 1 inch) driver could see it. Larger vehicles tend to have a significantly larger blind spot. (Studies show the length of each blind spot; lighter for an average-height
driver, darker for a shorter driver.)
Later in 2006, tests will be published on backup sensors and rear-view video backup warning cameras that could help to reduce the blind-spot problem. It’s best to always look carefully behind the
vehicle before you get in and again before you put the car in gear. Also, always back up slowly. |
Better than some automakers "detectors"
LaneFX actually shows you what's lurking in your blind spot!
- Change lanes safely: Always use your turn signal before changing lanes or merging into highway traffic lanes. Turn signal aftermarket
power mirrors are great, but they still don't give you complete coverage of the cars in your blind spot.
- LaneFX is the best automotive technology for your auto safety.
- Unlike some automakers' systems, Lane FX has no blinking lights, no false positives, and no learning curve. It uses what you normally use: your vehicle's side mirror!
- Perfect for new drivers with learner's permit. Don't take the DMV driver license test without it!
- Volvo XC90, S80 and Audi Q7 blind spot detectors can't
match LaneFX. In each of these systems, the blinking lights in your blind spot mirrors can get very distracting.
- LaneScan is a good solution for semi-trucks, but for your commercial van fleet LaneFX is the clear solution because of its OEM compatibility.
- Lane FX Fleet Edition now available for light and medium duty commercial trucks and vans. It's preferred 2-to-1 by commercial fleet
managers over the LaneScan Go Zone system.
- AARP: helps senior drivers avoid fatal accidents by advocating proper turn signal use and and 100% checking of senior driver's blind spot.
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LaneFX proven better solution to the blind spot problem than stick-on convex blind spot mirrors
Why use conventional, ineffective blind spot mirrors? LaneFX puts your side mirrors to work for your driving safety. It alerts you before changing lanes by showing you any trucks,
SUV's, and passenger cars hiding in your blind spot side view mirror. Plus, LaneFX works with your vehicle's existing power side mirrors.
Learn how adjusting your power mirrors wide does not guarantee to eliminate blind spots
The Car Talk folks might like this concept, but why use 1960's technology to solve an increasingly
important driving safety problem? Blind spot mirrors are no match for the simplicity, innovation and high-technology of the LaneFX system.
Unlike what you'd drive in Volvo XC90, S80, or Audi Q7 Lane Assist, LaneFX is not a fad or a car gadget! Auxiliary blind spot mirrors are not the the latest automotive safety technology
to make lane changing and merging safer. As you activate your blinker, LaneFX swings your side mirror outward to show you what may be lurking
in your vehicle's blind spot. LaneFX is more compatible with the latest turn signal mirrors than stick-on convex blind spot mirrors. Since LaneFX doesn't take away any of the mirror surface (unlike
stick-on fish eye mirrors), you can see Muth turn signal LED's with ease. Turn signal mirrors and LaneFX are the ultimate in total driver awareness. Check the best-selling
Muth turn signal mirrors and see how easily they're compatible with LaneFX for a powerful safety result.
- blind spot mirrors
- lane change
- Total driver awareness and safe driving even with when used with radar detectors.
- Consumer Reports stresses the importance of proper lane check prior to merging or
changing lanes.
- Sonus SideVUE, is a good example of stick-on gadgets for your blind spot mirrors, but without real benefit of driving safety that Lane FX provides on any vehicle equipped with power mirrors,
guaranteed!
- Prevent accidents: Always check your blind spot zone before changing lanes
or merging into highway traffic.
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ParkFX is the 360-Degree Backup Solution That's Less Costly Than Backup Sensors, Park Assist and Rearview Cameras
Deaths increase. Ninety-one children were killed in 2003 by drivers who didn’t see them while backing up, according to Kids and Cars ( www.kidsandcars.org ),
a nonprofit organization working to improve child safety around vehicles. Those deaths represented a 57 percent increase from 2002. During the first six months of 2004, more than 40 deaths have
been attributed to backover accidents, many involving vehicles with large blind spots.
Kids and Cars compiles these statistics; the federal government does not track such incidents. Janette Fennell, president of the organization, believes that backover accidents are underreported
and that the actual number of children killed or injured is much higher.
Blind spots grow with vehicle size. A likely reason for the increase in injuries is that minivans, pickups, and SUVs account for more than half of all vehicles sold. Many
have large rear-view blind spots.
Last year, Consumer Reports began measuring the blind spot of each vehicle we test, checking the distance for short drivers (5 feet 1 inch tall) and
for those of average height (5 feet 8 inches tall). The biggest blind spot: 51 feet for a short driver in a Chevrolet Avalanche pickup. But even small sedans can have blind spots of more than 40
feet. We regularly update vehicle blind-spot information, which is available on this site free of charge in The
problem of blind spots.
Systems other than ParkFX combine a camera with sensors, so we tested each system independently; it is listed with camera systems in the Ratings.
All the systems we tested are potentially useful. They’re a good complement to looking around the vehicle before entering, and checking the rear window and rear-view mirror just before and
while moving in reverse. |
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