HOME: Test Drive LaneFX Online! Take Our Interactive Demo and Experience How LaneFX Transforms Your Commute Into a Safer, More Stress-Free Drives. Say Goodbye to "Near Miss" Lane Changes and Never Have to Worry About What's Lurking in Your Blind Spot Ever Again!
BUY LANEFX AND SAVE
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 spotsThursday November 12, 7:20 pm ET ANN ARBOR , Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Drivaware inc. reported on Friday its preliminary findings on the impact of cell phone use and driver's checking of blind spot zones prior to changing lanes. Based on a survey of 231 participants, survey results show that drivers talking on a cell phone were 52% less likely to (manually) check their blind spot prior to changing lanes. Study further shows that same drivers using a more advanced form of blind spot exposure (such as Drivawar's LaneFX) were only 18% less likely to check their blind spot prior to changing lanes when they are using a cell phone. The benefits of new auto safety technologies such as LaneFX is that it is positively improving drivers' on-road awareness despite the increasing number of in-cabin driver distractions. Drivaware inc. indicated that the complete study findings will be published in October of this year. -KAS 09/21/2006 |
The Blind Spot Problem is Becoming Quite PervasiveGrowing 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 YouThe 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. |
Are You Blind To Backup Danger?Drivaware and Safe4Kids Tests Show Larger Vehicles Have Larger Blind SpotsIf you have a sport utility vehicle, it is probably because they are big and you believe they're safer than other vehicles. But Drivaware and Safe4Kids News has uncovered some information about a safety issue that affects virtually every vehicle on the road. When you back your vehicle up, you look in the rearview mirror, and it is easy to see if an adult is in the way. But what if a small child is standing there? Statistics show that 28,000 children were taken to emergency rooms last year when they were run over by a vehicle backing up. Before you get behind the wheel, you'd better know more about your vehicle's blind spot. Robin Giglio's 22-month-old son Hayden, somehow got behind the family SUV as they were backing away from his grandparents' house. "I relive the accident every day," Giglio said. "Hayden ran behind the car and I couldn't see him at all and I hit him." Drivaware and Safe4Kids's Investigators went to a supermarket parking lot and placed orange cones the size of a small child behind some vehicles that were backing out. The people in the vehicles checked their mirrors and took their time backing up, but they couldn't see the cone because of the blind spot. If it had been a child, he or she could have been seriously injured, if not killed. With the help of John Long of AAA Mid-Atlantic, Drivaware and Safe4Kids set up a blind spot demonstration with Alexis and Annemarie volunteering to be the drivers. Cones were placed directly behind different cars, vans, pickups and SUVs. In an older-model Toyota Corolla, Alexis didn't spot the cone until it was moved 9.5 feet behind her. However, Annemarie spotted it sooner -- after 8 feet 3 inches. Why was there a difference with the exact same car? Annemarie is 8 inches taller than Alexis. The shorter you are, the harder it is to spot things when you back up. In the demonstration, Drivaware and Safe4Kids discovered that the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the blind spot. With a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the blind spot was over 20 feet 5 inches. The Ford Windstar's blind spot was about 25 feet and the Land Rover had a 36-foot blind spot. Drivaware and Safe4Kids found out it was even worse when the blind spot was directly behind the spare tire and the middle seat headrest. Alexis couldn't see the cone for over 182 feet -- that's over half the length of a football field. You can reduce your blind spot, Long said. "In the third seat of a passenger van, put it down in the resting position and it will give you somewhat greater visibility as you look over your shoulder," Long said. Many vehicles have sensors that beep when something is close. You can also reduce your blind spot by raising your power seat to let you see at a greater angle. If you don't have a power seat make sure you turn around and lift yourself up as much as possible -- that always reduced the blind spot in tests by AAA Mid-Atlantic. You should also always make sure you look behind the vehicle before getting in and hit the horn briefly to warn anybody who might be in your blind spot. |
ParkFX for Your SUV - Prevent a TragedyAt least once a week a child in America is run over, typically in backup (reversing) accidentsAre you extra aware and alert when you're in the vicinity of a sport-utility vehicle, van or a pickup truck that's backing up? Are you especially watchful for children when you're behind the wheel of a tall-riding vehicle—be it a van, truck or SUV—and you're backing it up?You should be. According to Consumer Reports, the blind spot behind a tall vehicle such as a Chevrolet Avalanche truck can extend as much as 51 feet in the case of a small-stature driver about 5 feet 1 inches tall. Even for an average-sized driver, 5 feet 8 inches tall, the blind spot can extend nearly 30 feet behind the Avalanche, according to the consumer advice publication. "No one is telling people there's a bigger blind spot in these vehicles," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of the child safety advocacy group Kids and Cars. Pointing out her statistics showing at least one child a week in the United States is killed in a "backover" incident, Fennell urges that some kind of "backover warning and prevention device" be made mandatory on all vehicles. |
Merging Into Highway Traffic Proves Difficult for Most DriversDrivaware reports lane changing on busy highways can be difficult for even the most experienced drivers. The secret is to plan ahead by knowing what other vehicles are doing around you. In Drivaware's interactive demo on safe lane changes and merges, the car in the right lane is traveling faster than your car. Many impatient drivers will (wrongly) tailgate slower vehicles traveling in the fast lane. Be proactive! Avoid this situation by staying right as much as is practical. In this example, it would be best to move your vehicle over to the right lane as soon as it is safe. Be smarter than the other guy! Use your turn signal every time you change lanes along with the new LaneFX system. Before you make your move, look in your side and rearview mirrors to make sure the lane is clear. If there is another vehicle in the lane, or if there is another vehicle in the right lane behind you (at a distance) which is overtaking you at a fast speed, stay where you are. Wait for that vehicle to pass you.Remember you have blind spots, and that the blind spot on the right is larger than on the left. Before you change lanes, turn your head carefully to check the appropriate blind spot. When you decide it is safe, turn the steering wheel in the direction you wish to go. Change lanes quickly, but smoothly. Do not wander as you change lanes. You always want to appear confident and in control of the situation.Once you've successfully negotiated the lane change, make sure your turn signal is off. This is important. If other drivers see that your turn signal is always on, they may not trust you on the highway! They will never know when you want to turn and when you don't. Basic Skills for Safer CommutesDriving has changed a lot since most of us first got behind the wheel. This section will help you to keep a constant watch on your surroundings, the vehicles and people around you at all times. An important factor to take into consideration when driving is to check your mirrors frequently, and also check the blind spots, by looking over your shoulders before switching lanes or making turns. As we age, most of us become less flexible, so check out the information on this site about exercises that will keep you limber and help you drive safely. Knowing the needs of other traffic like trucks, buses, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians is very important. For example, trucks should be provided with extra space, as they need wider turning lanes, watch out for buses, as they need to enter traffic from stopping lanes, and give pedestrians plenty of time to cross the road. Everyone has one or two problematic areas of driving. Click the links on your right, to the areas that give you trouble. We can all improve our driving. |
LATEST REPORTMost Drivers Say They Don't Use Turn SignalsMaybe you've asked yourself: What is the big deal about a turn signal? Is it hard to find? Difficult to use? Why is it that 57 percent of drivers say they don't use one? Won't-use-a-signal drivers are simply not motivated properly, according to a national survey by Response Insurance, a national car insurer.
(The total exceeds 100 percent because some drivers picked more than one reason.) With LaneFX, drivers have experienced a 38% increase in consistent turn signal utilization compared with their driving habits prior to owning the system. |
Buy LaneFX
FEATURES & OPTIONS
BLIND SPOT INFO
[
and Media Library ][
and Media Library ] LaneFX TV[
and Media Library ] Press Releases [
Restricted Access ] 
"Mirror-In-Motion" LED Indicators
MADE IN U.S.A.
