Blind Spot Warning - My Car Does What

Blind Spot Warning

These features warn you of cars driving in your blind spots. They may provide an additional warning if you use your turn signal when there is a car next to you in another lane.

What It Does

What It Does: Uses a symbol, sound or vibration to let the driver know there are vehicles located in their blind spots.

What It Does Not Do: May not detect motorcycles or very fast moving vehicles.

SPOT THE HIDDEN DANGER

Quick Guide

Blind Spot Step 1

1. Be Prepared

Watch for an alert if a vehicle enters your blind spot.

Blind Spot Step 2

2. Understand Warnings

A warning icon lights up when there's a car next to you. You may hear a warning or see a blinking icon if you engage your turn signal.

Blind Spot Step 3

3. Look

Remember to look over your shoulders and use turn signals before changing lanes.

How it works

WHAT IT DOES

This feature will warn you if a car – or sometimes other objects – is in your left or right blind spot. Warnings will appear in your sideview mirrors or in the windshield frame. Some advanced versions of this feature may give you an audible warning (or other type of warning) if you use your turn signal and there is a vehicle in your blind spot.

THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND IT

This feature uses sensors that are always monitoring the road to your sides. They are optimized to work at highway speeds. Advanced features will work with your turn signal to provide you additional warnings if you attempt to change into a lane where another car is right next to yours.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Use the blind spot warning to help you be more aware of other traffic as you travel down highways. You can also use the warnings provided by the blind spot warning when you want to make a lane change – but you should still always look over your shoulders before doing so.

TIPS FOR USING

  • Make sure that your blind spot warning’s sensors are not blocked by moisture, snow, dirt or other material.
  • Read your owner’s manual for more information on what the blind spot warning’s various warnings mean.
  • Blind spot warnings are optimized for highway driving and highway speeds; they may not work as well with slow-moving or extremely fast vehicles.
  • Some blind spot warnings are not optimized to detect motorcycles, bicycles or pedestrians. This is why you should always look over your shoulders to check your blind spots before making a lane change.

Question & Answers

What else is this feature called?

Different manufacturers call this system different names. You may see it referred to as:

  • Passive blind spot monitoring
  • Blind spot information system
  • Blind spot assist
  • Side blind-zone alert

Will this feature activate for any size of vehicle?

Blind spot warnings best detect other vehicles traveling beside your car. However, not all features may be capable of detecting motorcycles, bicycles and other vehicles smaller than a regular-sized car. You should always be aware of your surroundings and the traffic around you as you drive. Always remember to do a head check to confirm there is not a car in your blind spot.

After warning me with an icon, will my blind spot warning give me any other warnings?

Some blind spot warnings come with alerts that will provide you with additional warnings if you initiate your turn signal and there is already a car in the lane next to you. Check your owner’s manual or with your dealership to find out if your blind spot warning has this capability.

Resources

Are you ready for your next challenge? Dive into Blind Spot Warning and more in our Deeper Learning section. Play interactive games and take quizzes to see how much you’ve learned so far.

Learn Even More About Blind Spot Warning

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