While we wait for Level 4 or Level 5 autonomy, we need
version 2.0 of blind spot monitoring.
Without blind spot monitoring, you can adjust your mirrors so that you do not
have blind spots, as recommended by the SAE, and detailed in this Car and
Driver article. Most new vehicles have some blind
spot monitor, whether it's a sensor, a camera, coupled with an audio or visual
cue.
This is all well and good when you are going straight. The challenge is
that in the few seconds between checking your mirrors, and then attempting to
change lanes, another car may also be headed to the same lane you intended to
go. And then you narrowly miss the other car, or you go back to your
original lane - either one would piss off drivers behind you. Or worse,
you cause an accident.
Or, you may be going straight and a car just starts moving towards you.
While according to this Wikipedia article, Nissan has some
proactive capability, it's not widespread.
So, Blind Spot Monitoring 2.0 should have these features: As soon as you switch
your turn signals on, and you are over a certain speed (meaning you are
changing lanes), a better visual prompt, maybe a heads-up display or even just
on the dashboard or the screen, that lets you know if it is clear.
When you are in fact turning vs. changing lanes, it should be looking for
pedestrians or bikers, and their velocity, and alert you if they are going
towards you.
Finally, the sensors should be able to detect whether another car is moving
towards you or going straight in its own lane and alert you to execute a safety
maneuver. I've seen a few accidents where two cars wanted to move to the
same space in the middle lane, and neither seeing each other.
