Rear-Facing Camera's Might be Required by 2014

Last week we covered why it might be a good idea to install a dash cam into your vehicle. So many vehicles now come with a Car Navigation System and In Dash Navigation Screen stock, that adding a few cameras in the front and the rear can be easy and provide you with a range of benefits. Soon, however, automakers will not have a choice: rear facing back up cameras are set to be required for all vehicles made after 2014.

Based on a proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers must have the ability to see behind their vehicle when the vehicle is put into reverse. According to NHTSA, this "blind spot" regulation could save 95 to 112 lives per year, and prevent 7,000 to 8,000 or more injuries. Tragically, backover accidents cause an average of 229 deaths per year, 44% of which are children under 5 years old. Cars with lots of travel and small back windows (like SUVs) have very poor rear visibility, especially for children who are not taller than the back windows of the vehicle.

The matter is not cut and dried, however: there is some heated debate on whether measures like this are necessary. The NHTSA says the total approximate cost to equip their estimate of 16.6 million vehicles sold in 2014 would be between $1.9 billion and $2.7 billion. Of course it's impossible to put a price on a child's life, but it is possible to hold drivers responsible for making sure there is nothing behind their vehicle, especially if there are children around.

There is also the responsibility of parents  to keep an eye on their children to make sure they are not playing behind cars, and not in the driveway when a car is running. Given that in 2009 33,808 people were killed in automobile related accidents, back-up related deaths are relatively rare.

The decision has been delayed on several occasions so the jury isn't out yet on the issue, but if passed we could be seeing even the lowest base model cars with in-dash screens to support rear-facing cameras as early as 2014. Do you think the burden of responsibility lies with automakers or parents?

Same Car, New Features? BMW Rolls Out Upgrades

So you’ve been saving up money for a few months to get yourself an iPhone, an Android, or whatever your choice may be. You finally get it in your hands, and BAM, they unexpectedly release a newer, better version just weeks later. What the heck! Although this has become a common (and annoying) theme in technology today, you have to admit it’s becoming increasingly easy to update your old products to get new features. This week, this is exactly what BMW drivers were able to do with their In Dash Navigation and Center Console Display Unit.

On Tuesday, BMW owners with 2009 and later models turned on their cars to a new, updated BMW Online system. Some of the new features they can now enjoy include viewing recent news, weather, local fuel prices, Google search access, and a better overall display. Seems like a pretty cool deal to me, although I’m not sure how safe Google-ing is from behind the wheel. This all happened automatically and even better, for free. Now that I think of it, I don’t even need to plug my phone in to update it, add music to it, or transfer my pictures to my laptop. At the rate technology is progressing, it’s encouraging to know that it’s not so hard to keep the products we buy up to date. I can hardly turn on my computer without having to update some piece of software.

It’s great that BMW has rolled out this new upgrade, and I hope other companies with the same capabilities follow suit. Oh, and I’m definitely not getting into any long lines on the next apple release date. They released the software upgrade for free just a week after their latest iPhone was released, and who needs Siri anyways?

Do Your Eyes and Headlights Make a Good Team?

I’m not sure if it’s just me getting older or my car, but it’s getting harder and harder to see the road while driving at night. It’s one thing to make sure luxury items like your Car Radio or Car Navigation System are working, but it’s even more important to maintain parts that affect your safety. Headlights begin to dim over time, and as the days get shorter in these winter months their brightness becomes even more important.

There are many different types of headlights such as incandescent, halogen, and xenon. Incandescent bulbs are the more traditional bulbs and tend to dim faster as the filament inside evaporates over time. Xenon bulbs use newer technology, specifically the HID (High Intensity Discharge) xenon bulbs which use two electrodes in a xenon gas-sealed bulb rather than a traditional filament. We are seeing these bulbs more and more in newer cars because the light they create is not only three times brighter than a halogen bulb, but lasts ten times longer. While three times brighter seems great for the driver, I can think of a time or two I’ve been blinded by an oncoming Audi or BMW, thinking their brights were on. Some headlights out today, such as bi-xenon, are so bright that they require self-leveling so they don’t blind other drivers on the road.

No matter which type of headlight your car uses, if you’re squinting to see the road at night you either need new bulbs or a pair of glasses. If you do notice your yellow-glowing halogen lights are much dimmer than they once were, be sure to change them both at the same time! It’s also fairly easy to upgrade them to xenon for that new, fresher look. Dimming headlights is a common problem but an easy fix, so don’t sacrifice your safety or the safety of other drivers on the road.