LA JOLLA, Calif. — According to the Automobile Safety Foundation, nearly every minute of every day, there is an accident on the road as a direct result of a defective standard equipment side view mirrors, that harbor a blind spot that prohibits safe lane changes. 160,000 people per year, many of them young and inexperienced drivers, are injured as a direct result of blind spot related accidents. And yet, the problem of these accidents can be easily solved by making just one small modification to your car: the application of an inexpensive adhesive “blind spot mirror.”
“Drivers cannot merge onto a freeway or change lanes safely with standard equipment side view mirrors,” states the Automobile Safety Foundation, which is taking aim at this driving safety crisis by launching the “Safe Mirrors Now!” public awareness campaign in support of side view mirror attachments designed to reveal the “blind spot.”
Now after several years of research ASF is releasing the Maxi View Mirror for sale on their web page, www.carsafe.org. Though there are blind spot convex mirrors available at most auto parts stores, the convex design is impaired by distortion of depth of field, creating a distancing problem. Maxi View Mirror known as, “the world’s best blind spot mirror system” greatly improves on this problem, and is the top of the line in aftermarket mirrors. ASF maintains that, “no one should drive without them.”
As it is, standard side view mirrors, which conceal nearby approaching vehicles in a blind area and restrict driver’s view while changing lanes, are implicated in more than 413,000 (more than half) of the country’s 826,000 lane change accidents such as side swipes, according to The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
The European Union recently addressed the problem of inadequate side view mirrors, and has put in place changes to the automobiles they manufacture that will help make the roads safer in Europe. However, in the United States, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) despite the overwhelming evidence they have been presented with for the last 40 years, including the international precedent for remedial actions established by the EU, continue a non-regulatory stance.
Motor Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young people in the U.S. today. It’s a fact. Over 3,000 teens and young adults die in automobile accidents every year. What’s an even more staggering realization than those statistics is the fact that most of these accidents could have been prevented. Making just one small, inexpensive modification to your car or the car of a loved one, could potentially prevent a serious injury or loss of life. Would you spend a small amount of time and money to protect yourselves, family and children and others on the road?
The Automobile Safety Foundation cannot address this safety crisis alone. ASF calls on the news media to alert the driving public about this safety crisis. Colleges, schools, and their newspapers, should help communicate the Safe Mirrors Now! message to all student drivers. ASF also requests that the United States Congress follow the example of the European Union relegating remedial design change, as well as legislating safe mirror attachments for the public and all government vehicles.
The Automobile Safety Foundation (ASF) is a non-profit group that researches and develops ways to improve vehicle safety and driving awareness. To inquire about the Safe Mirrors Now! Campaign, or obtain tax deductible Maxi View Mirrors for yourself or your company, please visit www.carsafe.org..
Automobile Safety Foundation, P.O. Box 12183, La Jolla, CA 92039-2183.
[tags]Automobile Safety Foundation, Safe Mirrors Now Campaign, Maxi View Mirrors[/tags]
