Avoid Lane Change Mishaps In The 2010 Buick LaCrosse

How many times have you found yourself driving down the highway and you go to change lanes and you find a car in your blind spot? These kinds of close calls can be pretty nerve-racking, but thanks to a new side blind zone alert system on the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, you can relax.

Helping you to prevent those all-too-frequent near misses is Buick’s Side Blind Zone Alert system. It works by displaying a small orange icon in the side mirrors of the new LaCrosse. It uses radar-equipped sensors that provide and extra set of “eyes” that monitor your vehicle’s blind spots.

But how often do these kinds of blind spot incidents occur? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that improper lane changes are a factor in up to 85 percent of all crashes.

“The blind zone technology system enables the car to see where it is difficult for the driver to see,” said Kent Lybecker, a GM active safety systems engineer. “This technology makes lane changes safer because it alerts driver’s to vehicles that otherwise might escape their vision.”

When the Side Blind Zone Alert system detects another vehicle in the adjacent lane, the system will illuminate an orange symbol in the side view mirror that alerts the driver to a potential collision. If the driver activates the turn signal in the direction of the detected vehicle, the symbol will start to flash. Otherwise it will remain illuminated until the detected vehicle has left the blind zone.

The system works by using alternating radar beams that span outward from the LaCrosse, and cover a zone of about one lane width on both sides of the LaCrosse. The radar also covers approximately 10 feet in the rear of the Lacrosse for an added layer of protection.

The Buick Lacrosse is one of 27 new vehicles to be named a Top Safety Pick for 2010 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting occupants in front, side, rear and rollover crashes based on Institute testing.

Although Side Blind Zone Alert is intended to help drivers avoid lane change mishaps, the driver still needs to turn to check blind zones manually before changing lanes.

Visit your Dayton Buick Lacrosse Dealer for a demonstration of the blind side zone alert mirrors or call 1-866-975-3287 for more details.