I like technology, and if it makes for safer driving, I’m all for it. While I applaud the efforts automakers make to keep us protected in our cars, I confess to being skeptical of how useful some of that technology actually is. Case in point? Blind spot monitoring. My first experience with this safety feature was in a Mazda6 and I was not impressed.  The system was so sensitive on the highway I opted to deactivate it because it would not stop going off. I dismissed the option as a waste of money and useless.
Maybe it was a kink. But when technology is done properly, it works. Case in point. I have a 2011 Acura MDX for the week. I drove my wife and son to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to have an early Christmas last weekend. The MDX was perfect for the trip. Our test car was equipped with the Advance Package, which happened to include blind spot monitoring. I thought nothing of it at first, but after some time behind the wheel, I found the Acura’s system to be much more effective. Read on to see how this technology can actually save your life.
I had been at the wheel for four and a half hours, and was eleven miles from home. It was dark, and I’m driving on I-95 through the city of Bridgeport. Ahead of me is a late model Chevy Suburban. We’re in the left lane, cruising at 75mph. I see the Chevy drift off slightly to the left. But he’s not correcting. He drifts, and crashes into the New Jersey barrier, wheels off the ground. On a busy section of highway, I scan my mirror, but it’s dark, and I can’t be positive there isn’t a car in the center lane. But the light was not on. I trusted the MDX’s system, and moved over. We got past an out of control car without a scratch.
This technology could have potentially saved our lives, and as an automotive journalist, I call on all manufacturers to make this standard on all of your cars.
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