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.

Gifts With Vroom

Shopping for a passionate car lover this holiday season? Here are ten vroom-worthy car gifts sure to accelerate excitement

• View Slide Show

Auto 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 Buying

And 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 Ferrari

Hardcore 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.

LATEST NEWS: "Drivaware Releases Preliminary Consumer Survey on Driver Blind Spot Awareness"

Study shows cell phone use decreases driver likelihood to check vehicle's blind spots

Compare Backup Sensors & Cameras to ParkFX for the Most Reliable Backup Warning Technology

Not all reversing aids are equal. The sensing technology and the indicating method are critical to your driving safety.

How A Park Assist System Alerts You

One 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 Objects

If 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.

ParkFX is the 360-Degree Backup Solution and it'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.