Photo: Ford
Even though automatic emergency braking and blind spot warning have been proven rather useful, some automakers aren’t so fond of making them available for entry-level specifications. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500, for example, lists both of them as optional equipment.
“The lack of standard safety features is especially notable on pickup trucks” according to Consumer Reports. In the case of the Ford F-150, the half-ton truck’s price tag increases by $12,285 if you want to add blind spot warning because the system is bundled with other options. Standard on the Lariat and higher trims, BSW isn’t offered at all on the XL.
Adding insult to injury, the Blue Oval doesn’t give the customer the choice to cherry-pick BSW from the options list in the XLT unless he opts for the Luxury Package. Why would an automaker offer BSW in a package that includes 10-way adjustable seats, a leather steering wheel, 18-inch wheels, and so forth? Profit is the word you’re looking for.
General Motors is the bigger offender at $16,735 for pedestrian detection, “$2,355 more than the total starting price of a brand-new Nissan Sentra” according to Consumer Reports. Curiously enough, the Japanese sedan comes with BSW and pedestrian detection as standard.
Not long now, a change could be made thanks to a bill by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. “21st Century Smart Cars Act” is how it’s called, and if voted into law, automakers would be mandated to include pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, and a slew of other safety gizmos as standard. The NHTSA and IIHS have already convinced automakers to roll out forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking by 2022.
According to a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor, rear-end collision rates drop as much as 46 percent in vehicles fitted with front collision warning and automatic emergency braking. Lane Departure Warning and Keeping Assistance curb lane-departure crashes by 21 percent. Add reversed AEB and rear cross traffic alert to the mix, and backup collision fall by 81 percent.
Adding insult to injury, the Blue Oval doesn’t give the customer the choice to cherry-pick BSW from the options list in the XLT unless he opts for the Luxury Package. Why would an automaker offer BSW in a package that includes 10-way adjustable seats, a leather steering wheel, 18-inch wheels, and so forth? Profit is the word you’re looking for.
General Motors is the bigger offender at $16,735 for pedestrian detection, “$2,355 more than the total starting price of a brand-new Nissan Sentra” according to Consumer Reports. Curiously enough, the Japanese sedan comes with BSW and pedestrian detection as standard.
Not long now, a change could be made thanks to a bill by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. “21st Century Smart Cars Act” is how it’s called, and if voted into law, automakers would be mandated to include pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, and a slew of other safety gizmos as standard. The NHTSA and IIHS have already convinced automakers to roll out forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking by 2022.
According to a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor, rear-end collision rates drop as much as 46 percent in vehicles fitted with front collision warning and automatic emergency braking. Lane Departure Warning and Keeping Assistance curb lane-departure crashes by 21 percent. Add reversed AEB and rear cross traffic alert to the mix, and backup collision fall by 81 percent.
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