https://www.yahoo.com/autos/kia-blind-spot-monitoring-crash-153000647.html
Great info on how it works.
How does it work in practice?
We tested every aspect of Kia’s blind spot system, and yes, we even tested the collision avoidance system in real-world conditions. As with any blind spot warning system, the driver should still check their blind spots with a turn of the head at every lane change. But the brilliance of Kia’s system is the extra reassurance, ease of use, and reduction in stress – particularly on crowded city streets as bicyclists meander about everywhere. The system provides you with useful information before you turn your head, making the physical check of your blind spots less stressful – you don’t need to digest as much information in that split second as you would without the blind spot system.
It’s particularly useful in situations where we had to move several lanes on the highway. We were able to see the whole traffic situation three lanes over without having to turn an inch, allowing us to safely move one lane at a time with ease.
It was also helpful when a driver behind us tried to move into the same lane at the same time. This happens far too frequently and is extra difficult to spot as you’re making the lane change. With the camera feed in the dash, we can easily see the person a couple lanes over begin to edge into the lane. This allows us more time than usual avert a collision.
The Blind Spot Collision Avoidance (BCA) software also worked, but things aren’t as cut and dry with this one. It uses radar sensors to detect the presence of another vehicle beside or next to it, and the front-facing camera to keep tabs on the lane markings ahead. However, there are some limitations to the system that Kia details in the car’s owner’s manual. There are plenty of reasons for it not to work (inclement weather being one), but our sunny week of testing the Telluride didn’t bother it one bit. If anything, we wish the system was a bit more intrusive, something we don’t often find ourselves saying about driver assistance tech in cars.
We tried out the collision avoidance technology with a support vehicle near Autoblog headquarters on Woodward Avenue north of Detroit, a prime location for blind spot accidents to occur. The driver of the support vehicle (the guinea pig car in our blind spot) was to remain steady in his lane, so long as things didn’t become too hairy. It took some troubleshooting on distances and speeds, but we managed to get the system to activate in our somewhat unscientific tests. A message would flash in the central screen as the brakes on the opposite side of the car were pinched to gently pull us back to our original lane.
We had to get mighty close to our support vehicle for this system to kick in, but we were satisfied that it worked as promised by Kia. That said, we made a few observations worth noting. We noticed the system wasn’t keen to intervene when speeds were below 40 mph. The sweet spot for system recognition and action was when there were clear lane markings and speeds upwards of 50 mph.
Great info on how it works.
How does it work in practice?
We tested every aspect of Kia’s blind spot system, and yes, we even tested the collision avoidance system in real-world conditions. As with any blind spot warning system, the driver should still check their blind spots with a turn of the head at every lane change. But the brilliance of Kia’s system is the extra reassurance, ease of use, and reduction in stress – particularly on crowded city streets as bicyclists meander about everywhere. The system provides you with useful information before you turn your head, making the physical check of your blind spots less stressful – you don’t need to digest as much information in that split second as you would without the blind spot system.
It’s particularly useful in situations where we had to move several lanes on the highway. We were able to see the whole traffic situation three lanes over without having to turn an inch, allowing us to safely move one lane at a time with ease.
It was also helpful when a driver behind us tried to move into the same lane at the same time. This happens far too frequently and is extra difficult to spot as you’re making the lane change. With the camera feed in the dash, we can easily see the person a couple lanes over begin to edge into the lane. This allows us more time than usual avert a collision.
The Blind Spot Collision Avoidance (BCA) software also worked, but things aren’t as cut and dry with this one. It uses radar sensors to detect the presence of another vehicle beside or next to it, and the front-facing camera to keep tabs on the lane markings ahead. However, there are some limitations to the system that Kia details in the car’s owner’s manual. There are plenty of reasons for it not to work (inclement weather being one), but our sunny week of testing the Telluride didn’t bother it one bit. If anything, we wish the system was a bit more intrusive, something we don’t often find ourselves saying about driver assistance tech in cars.
We tried out the collision avoidance technology with a support vehicle near Autoblog headquarters on Woodward Avenue north of Detroit, a prime location for blind spot accidents to occur. The driver of the support vehicle (the guinea pig car in our blind spot) was to remain steady in his lane, so long as things didn’t become too hairy. It took some troubleshooting on distances and speeds, but we managed to get the system to activate in our somewhat unscientific tests. A message would flash in the central screen as the brakes on the opposite side of the car were pinched to gently pull us back to our original lane.
We had to get mighty close to our support vehicle for this system to kick in, but we were satisfied that it worked as promised by Kia. That said, we made a few observations worth noting. We noticed the system wasn’t keen to intervene when speeds were below 40 mph. The sweet spot for system recognition and action was when there were clear lane markings and speeds upwards of 50 mph.
