Taking Care of Your Blind Side

Did you see that movie, Blind Side?  You know the one with Sandra Bullock about the kid from the projects who goes on to professional football fame?  His position is left tackle and his job is to protect the quarterback's blind side.  Left tackle has become one of the big money positions--one professional football teams save top draft picks in order to get the best one.  And the teams that have a great left tackle, tend to be really good late in the season.

In your car, your blind side is on your right.  It's the spot you have to look the furthest to see--across your entire car, then over your shoulder.  Your side view mirrors help a lot, but they still leave you with a blind spot.

According to a recent study from Johns Hopkins, more than a quarter of a million car accidents occurs each year because of faulty lane changes. Anything that blocks the vision including people, visors, even the build of the vehicle can contribute to blind spot related accidents.

Enter the new 2013 Honda Accord with Lane Watch.  This little camera is like your left tackle--except it's on your right side.  With the camera on (which happens either when you turn on your right turn signal or when you press the button at the end of the turn signal lever) the display, just to the right of the steering wheel, shows the whole right side of the car with tremendous accuracy.

This first picture was what I could see using just my right side-mirror.  

This next picture is the Lane Watch view.  It's amazing how much more you can see.  I can even see the garbage cans that my kids forgot to bring in.

In an article on blind spots, Construction Exec magazine said, "Until mechanical vision systems such as blind-spot detection systems become standard, blind spots [will continue to be] a serious problem for every driver."

Thanks to the 2013 Honda Accord, Honda buyers now have the option to not have blind spots be a problem anymore!  Like one of those the "big money" players in the NFL, this is a quality product that's worth having.  And it's the kind of product that will even help us "later in the season."