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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. |
Are You Blind To Backup Danger?
Drivaware and Safe4Kids Tests Show Larger Vehicles Have Larger Blind Spots
If you have a sport utility vehicle, it is probably because they are big and you believe they're safer than other vehicles. But Drivaware
and Safe4Kids News has uncovered some information about a safety issue that affects virtually every vehicle on the road. When you back your vehicle up, you look in the rearview mirror, and
it is easy to see if an adult is in the way. But what if a small child is standing there? Statistics show that 28,000 children were taken to emergency rooms last year when they were run over
by a vehicle backing up. Before you get behind the wheel, you'd better know more about your vehicle's blind spot. Robin Giglio's
22-month-old son Hayden, somehow got behind the family SUV as they were backing away from his grandparents' house. "I relive the accident every day," Giglio said. "Hayden ran
behind the car and I couldn't see him at all and I hit him." Drivaware and Safe4Kids's Investigators went to a supermarket parking lot and placed orange cones the size of a small child
behind some vehicles that were backing out. The people in the vehicles checked their mirrors and took their time backing up, but they couldn't see the cone because of the blind spot. If it had
been a child, he or she could have been seriously injured, if not killed. With the help of John Long of AAA Mid-Atlantic, Drivaware and Safe4Kids set
up a blind spot demonstration with Alexis and Annemarie volunteering to be the drivers. Cones were placed directly behind different cars, vans, pickups and SUVs. In an older-model Toyota
Corolla, Alexis didn't spot the cone until it was moved 9.5 feet behind her. However, Annemarie spotted it sooner -- after 8 feet 3 inches. Why was there a difference with the exact same car?
Annemarie is 8 inches taller than Alexis. The shorter you are, the harder it is to spot things when you back up. In the demonstration, Drivaware and Safe4Kids discovered that the bigger the vehicle,
the bigger the blind spot. With a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the blind spot was over 20 feet 5 inches. The Ford Windstar's blind spot was about 25 feet and the Land Rover had a 36-foot blind spot.
Drivaware and Safe4Kids found out it was even worse when the blind spot was directly behind the spare tire and the middle seat headrest. Alexis couldn't see the cone for over 182 feet -- that's over
half the length of a football field. You can reduce your blind spot, Long said. "In the third seat of a passenger van, put it down in the resting position and it will give you somewhat
greater visibility as you look over your shoulder," Long said. Many vehicles have sensors that beep when something is close. You can also reduce your blind spot by raising your power seat
to let you see at a greater angle. If you don't have a power seat make sure you turn around and lift yourself up as much as possible -- that always reduced the blind spot in tests by AAA Mid-Atlantic.
You should also always make sure you look behind the vehicle before getting in and hit the horn briefly to warn anybody who might be in
your blind spot. |
LATEST REPORT
Most Drivers Say They Don't Use Turn Signals
Maybe you've asked yourself: What is the big deal about a turn signal? Is it hard to find? Difficult to use? Why is it that 57 percent of drivers say they don't use one? Won't-use-a-signal drivers
are simply not motivated properly, according to a national survey by Response Insurance, a national car insurer.
- 23 percent say they're too lazy.
- 42 percent say they don't have enough time.
- 17 percent don't signal because they forget to turn the signals off after turning.
- 12 percent say they change lanes too often to bother.
- 11 percent say it's not important.
- 8 percent say they won't signal because other drivers don't.
- 7 percent actually say they forego the signal because it "adds excitement to driving."
(The total exceeds 100 percent because some drivers picked more than one reason.)
With LaneFX, drivers have experienced a 38% increase in consistent turn signal utilization compared with their driving habits prior to owning the system. |
Are All Blind Spot Mirrors the Same?
The areas most commonly referred to as blind spots are the rear quarter blind spots, areas towards the rear of the vehicle on both sides. Vehicles in the adjacent lanes of the road may fall into
these blind spots, and a driver may be unable to see them using only the car's mirrors.
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. |
LaneFX Driver Safety Products Are On Sale!
See the current specials and promotions and get your LaneFX for less. Save up to 20% on LaneFX products and we usually ship the same day.
Special discounts are available for Volvo XC90, S80 owners, owners of Audi vehicles equipped with SideAssist, all AARP members, and current AllState policy holders.
Defensive Driving: Self-Study Program
Teach driver safety to your own employees onsite, in about 90 minutes, with the National Safety Council’s NEW Defensive Driving Course (DDC) Self-Study Program. Based on our proven effective
Defensive Driving Course, it’s perfect for individual motorists or fleet drivers unable to attend regular DDC classes. Special Offer
During National Safety Month! |
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New 5-Minute Safety Talks Available Now!
Available exclusively to members of the National Safety Council, Safety Talks provide a year's worth of topics for your monthly safety meetings! Bulletin boards, rule books, signs
and posters are all great ways to present your safety messages, but there's no substitute for straight talk! That's why we've developed two collections of sixteen 5-Minute
Safety Talks, each with English and Spanish text. You can purchase the sets individually, or as a combo set at a discounted price during National Safety Month. |
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Defensive Driving On-line Training
The National Safety Council now offers four online training options tailored to fit your budget and your employees' schedule. Based on their classroom counterparts, these online programs
use state-of-the-art animation, video, narration, and interactive screens to teach your employees defensive driving techniques. |
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Virtual Defensive Driving Course
The new Virtual Defensive Driving Course (Virtual DDC) from NSC and Raydon combines the proven defensive driving course curriculum with actual behind-the-wheel driving time in a simulated
environment. This virtual driving instruction allows drivers to gain important insight AND experience in potentially hazardous situations. |
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Teen Driver
This guide to teen driver safety assists families in understanding and managing the journey their teens will travel from beginner to independent driver. The guide takes years of scientific
data and translates it into practical information for parents and teens to use in reducing teen crash risk. |
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Safety 24/7
This FREE CD-ROM contains a wealth of information on safety and health issues that impact people of all ages – children to older adults – in a variety of settings – at work,
on the road, in homes, and in the community. The SHP Center receives funding from various federal agencies which allows it to develop programs and materials to offer to the public. The resources
available on the Safety 24-7 CD-ROM offer solutions that are designed to help you make a difference. |
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Top 5 Auto Safety Technologies
Which of the often-expensive new technology might really save your life? Cars and trucks have become a lot safer in the past decade, but some 43,000 people still die every year
on U.S. highways. To be sure you and your family do not wind up among these statistics, you want the latest and best auto safety equipment available when you buy a new car. But unless
you can afford a luxury car--where most safety gear will be standard--you will have to make choices about how much to spend on optional auto safety equipment.
Some state-of-the-art auto safety devices--such as blind spot detection systems --aim to help you survive once an accident happens. Others--even
better--help to control skids and other dangerous situations, aiming to avoid accidents entirely. To stay safe, you ideally need both preventive and protective equipment. New auto safety gear may
be especially important if you are thinking about buying a sport utility vehicle (SUV).
J.D. Power & Associates' Consumer Ratings of Top 5 Auto Safety Technologies:
- Tire-pressure monitoring
- LaneFX style blind-spot detection / side assist / collision warning
- Lane-departure warning
- Emergency brake assist/collision mitigation
- Rearview backup camera
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The Blind Spot Problem is Becoming Quite Pervasive
Growing Demand for a Practical Solution Seen With Consumers, OEMs and Tier 1 Supplier Community.
The advanced Blind Spot Detection solutions market is now emerging with industry indications of considerable upside, starting with MY06 and MY07 vehicle line-ups.
At Drivaware, we have dedicated considerable product development resources to create, develop and production-ready three innovative Blind Spot Detection systems. While other companies are focused
on producing car gadgets, we are focused on the efficiency
of the system in terms of driver awareness. Two of these solutions are entirely original innovations, never seen before in the automotive marketplace. More broadly however, each Drivaware Blind
Spot Detection solution has a compelling first-to-market advantage in its respective technology.
What You Can't See in Your Mirrors Can Hurt You
The blue car's driver sees the green car through his mirrors but cannot see the red car without turning to check his blind spot. Blind spots, in the context of driving an automobile, are the
areas of the road that cannot be seen while looking forward or through either the rear-view or side mirrors. Blind spots can be eliminated by overlapping side and rear-view mirrors, or checked
by turning one's head briefly, or by adding another mirror with a larger field of view. Detection of vehicles or other objects in blind spots may also be aided
by systems such as video cameras or distance sensors, though these are not common in automobiles sold to the general public. |
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