Ford's New Features Increase Visibility, Decrease Blind Spots

Tuesday, we reported that Chrysler will introduce a Blind Spot Detection System on its 2009 minivans. It seems this week is official Blind Spot Detection Week, as today Ford also announced two new features for its 2009 lineup to combat blind spots.

Ford’s Blind Spot Monitoring System will hit the market in early 2009 using radar to track vehicles lingering in a driver’s blind spot; this is a first for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Like other systems — which have traditionally been available on luxury cars — Ford’s will alert drivers when a vehicle trips the radar, via an audible tone inside the cabin and an illuminating icon on the side-view mirror.

In conjunction with that, a Cross Traffic Alert feature will sense rearward crossing traffic when reversing out of a parking space. Ford says the system can detect an approaching vehicle up to 65 feet away on either side of the vehicle’s rear bumper.

Also to assist with blind spots is a new side-view mirror with an integrated blind-spot mirror. Much like those gas-stop stick-on mirrors, there’s a second, small mirror in the side-view mirror’s corner that gives drivers an extra perspective of the road. Ford says its blind spot mirror will be standard equipment on many Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles models, but no specific models have been named yet.

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Chrysler Dishes Out New Features for 2009 Models (KickingTires)