Blind spots ? Call Ford For Help

BLIS for Dummies

Are you waiting for the day we drivers use our indicators to switch lanes, The day we stop putting our heads outside to curse the guy who almost banged into us, the day we start using our rear view and side view mirrors more effectively and become more responsible drivers, the day we actually started caring for others who share the road with us as well.

Well, I am because that’s the time when Ford will decide to launch their awesome radar technology to detect vehicles in the blind spot!

Hell, we all have heard of radar guided cruise control and infra red cams and monitors, Automatic braking systems and even automatic parking assists but this is something new. Now you have a bit of technology that will detect anything from a pizza delivery boy on a motorcycle to a truck (which you can see anyhow) in your blind spot.

Ford’s Blind Spot Information System detects when a vehicle enters a blind spot zone that is defined on either side of the car. A LED warning light illuminates in the corresponding wing mirror to indicate the presence of a vehicle. The system works using two sophisticated multi-beam radars mounted in the outer corners of the rear bumper. The system monitors a blind spot zone on each side of the vehicle.

This extends from the wing mirror to around three meters behind the rear bumper and width-ways by about three meters either side of the car. The uniqueness of this system by Ford is that it can detect anything from 6mph, which makes it more useful in urban conditions.

“In busy traffic, it’s very easy to lose sight of vehicles when they move into your blind spot,” said Dr Torsten Wey, Ford’s driver assistance technologies supervisor. ”With its distinctive warning light, this system helps drivers to think twice before switching lanes or changing direction without checking their blind spot, hopefully preventing a collision or a near miss.”

Rear view mirror illustration of Ford BLIS

This new technology will be out in the UK this month on the new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy as a GBP 325 optional fitting. It is also said to feature in future Ford vehicles including the next-generation Ford C-MAX and Focus to be launched during the next 12 months in the UK.

Since the Focus will also be due in India soon, maybe we will get a chance to check it out as well!