OEM blind spot monitors are subject to glitches, says AAA.
Blind spot monitoring systems tested in new cars were found to have difficulty detecting fast-moving vehicles; which could be a factor when merging onto a highway. Alerts were issued too late for drivers to take action in many cases, according to new AAA Research conducted with the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center.
Also, blind spot monitors were found to detect motorcycles 26 percent later than cars.
For lane departure warning systems, AAA said that worn pavement and road construction can cause the systems to lose track of the lane location.
“With nearly three-quarters of 2014 vehicles offering blind-spot detection and 50 percent offering lane-departure warning as options, it’s key that consumers are educated on how to get the best benefit from these systems,” said John Nielsen of AAA. “AAA’s tests found that these systems are a great asset to drivers, but there is a learning curve.”
The cars were tested both on the road and on a test track. Differences in performance were found amongst different cars.
Some blind-spot monitoring systems had a short detection range, which meant that a vehicle was already in the blind spot before the alert came on,” said Megan McKernan of the Automobile Club of Southern California. Some systems were also prone to false positives and some failed to detect a car in the blind spot. “This can be annoying and could result in the driver disabling the system due to the false alerts,” she said.
Since the systems may take some getting used to, AAA cautioned drivers who rent a car with a driver safety feature to take time to get to know the system and recognize its limits.
See AAA’s full press release here
Photo via AAA
If I understand correctly, this article was in reference to OEM BSD, not aftermarket. There have been aftermarket BSD on the market for at least a few years, as far I can remember, though. With a solid product and solid installation considerations, this should be another area where 12 volt dealers can expand their offerings and drive profit, especially in the dealer expeditor arena.
“AAA said that worn pavement and road construction can cause the systems to lose track of the lane location.”
Well, duh. I bet snow covered roads are tough too. It’s still up to the driver to be alert and know what’s going on. And why would anybody think that a blind-spot system would have the same results detecting a motorcycle as a car?!
What blind spot system were you using two years ago?
sure. if ms or mr magoo drive 35 mph in the 55mph highway all a bsd will do is say that there was a car there three seconds ago. ha.
but seriously who needs to detect a motorcycle
kamakazi pilot anyway.
we were doing bsd over two years ago. with no problems.
the product you use is very important as are intelligent installation skills.
g