Blind Spot Warning System

Blind Spot Warning System detects the distance and closing speed of objects in adjacent lanes and alerts the driver if a collision is about to happen

Blind Spot Warning System or Blind Spot Monitor detects the distance and closing speed of objects in adjacent lanes and alerts the driver if a collision or car crash is about to happen. Some systems are camera-based and others rely on radar. The system is basically installed in the door mirrors to observe traffic behind the vehicle, taking 25 pictures per second. Small yet powerful microprocessors in the door mirrors process the image information. If a vehicle enters the warning zone, an orange LED (Light Emitting Diode) located inside the car near the door mirror lights up to warn the driver.

When the system was developed?

Several manufacturers have developed systems which monitor the blind spot and help drivers to change lanes safely. It was first introduced on the redesigned 2007 Volvo S80 sedan and produced a visible alert when a car entered the blind spot while a driver was switching lanes, using two door mounted lenses to check the blind spot area for an impending collision.

Mazda’S Blind Spot Monitor

Mazda was the first Japanese automaker to offer a blind spot monitor, which they referred to as BSM (Blind Spot Monitoring). It was initially introduced on the 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring and remained limited to only that highest trim level through the 2012 model year. For 2013, the CX-9 Touring and Grand Touring both have BSM standard.

Here’s how the Blind Spot Monitoring System works. Click here.

How the system works?

On a highway, a car which is far behind can be clearly seen in the rear view mirrors. However, as the car approaches, a point is reached where the car cannot be seen in either the interior or exterior mirrors. Typically this occurs when the car is just behind or on one side of the vehicle that it is overtaking. It is a common mistake for drivers to change lanes when there is a vehicle in this so-called “blind spot”, a maneuver which causes many crashes!

The warning system is particularly useful where there are multiple lanes and a high volume of traffic, especially when a large number of cars are moving at similar speeds, as they can “disappear” into the blind spot and stay out of sight for longer periods of time.

The system activates a warning light whenever other cars are within the warning zone on the left or right side of the car. The area of coverage (three meters wide by ten meters long on both the left and right sides of the car) extends over the entire blind spot. In order to ensure, that a warning is issued immediately when a vehicle enters this warning zone, the system starts identifying and tracking vehicles at a distance of up to 40 meters behind the car.

Blind Spot Warning System is only an aid designed to assist driving. It may fail to detect some vehicles and is no substitute for attentive driving. It may not detect road and traffic conditions. It may fail to detect narrow vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicycles, or may only detect them too late. Monitoring may be affected by dirty sensors, strong spray or poor visibility caused by snow, rain or mist. In this case, vehicles are detected late or not at all.

As a driver’s rule, you should always pay attention to traffic conditions and surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to recognize dangers in time and may cause accident and injury to yourself and others.

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