For those with BSM, how far behind you are you being alerted?

So this past weekend, there was lots of traveling of I-90 in upper NYS, I noticed that vehicles were almost on top of the truck before the BSM alerted me.

Now, I have the mirrors set so when I lean my head against the driver's glass, I can just barely see the end of the truck bed. Same is true when positioned over the shifter, and looking via the passenger side mirror. This is the means I've been using in all the vehicles I drive to minimize the visual blind spot. I recommend everyone give it a try, and teach their significant others and family members to do the same. A little disorienting to begin with, but trust me, after you do this and spend a few days with the setup, you will never go back to setting them such that they have the biggest blind spot imaginable.

Now then, perhaps the BSM is working properly because i've already minimized the blind spot with this recommended adjustment... However...

It's just with the same mirror setup, the BSM function of my wife's 2019 Outback, like a few other items, is far and away superior to Toyota's implementation (I estimate by a car length), which is sort of sad, now that I'm on team Toyota.

 

If its in your blind spot it doesnt matter. It alerts you. Next time you are being passed watch for the light to come on and check your mirror or look over your shoulder the old fashioned way. Then you shall know.

 

You may have missed the point. Not sure. No harm, no foul. The point I was trying to make, and may have failed at is that the Outback provides a larger alert zone. The BSM monitor is not as useful to those performing proper scanning and mirror setup. If that is your point, I agree.

 

The effective range is 20 to 25 feet, it is calibrated about 12 feet diagonally to the rear outward.

it’s not perfect by any stretch but I like the Tacoma bsm and it’s limited intrusions

 

The blind spot monitor is just for what it says it is, and that is, to alert you to objects in your "blind spot"!. That being said, mine seems to indicate somewhere about 25-50 ft behind or beside me. Now, if I am in a parking lot and starting to back out, it seems to alert me when people or vehicles are further away, which is good. BSM is something I would never have thought I would need, or be something I would like, but I have to say, it is something I kinda' like!

 

I really wish that BSM indicator light was more noticeable.
In my wife's Subaru they have a black section of the panel that fully lights up yellow when the BSM alerts. it's fairly hard to miss.

 

I agree. The wife's Subaru has an implementation that is quite a bit better in this regard.

 

i would never have imagined using a side-mirror position that would put a vehicle that's fully behind you in an adjacent lane in your blind spot.

 

I don't have BSM on my Sport...but my wife has it on her 2017 Elantra.

It can be quite annoying because I base my lane changes on the system telling me when it's OK to do a lane change...when I'm driving my wife's car.

I'm glad I don't have it on my Sport. I use my peripheral vision and turning my head before I indicate to do lane changes.

My wife loves the BSM and keeps it in the ON position at all times.

 

WHAT??? Yo have a Sport and it doesn't have BSM on it? Are you sure? I have a 2019, and mine has it. But then again, now that I think about it, I think it was part of what they referred to as the "technology package", at an additional $800 back then, so that may be it, but man, especially since you have a newer model than mine, I would have thought they would pretty much be standard now! BUT, there ARE aftermarket ones available that will fit perfectly on your Sport. I have been researching to install a BSM system on my wife's 1996 RAV4, and there are a ton of them out there. In any case, good luck!

 

Yeah, my Sport did not have the Technology Package. That's why I paid MSRP $38,803 with just floor mats & door sills. Here's what it does have:

Safety & Convenience
Star Safety System™—includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC),
Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with
Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and
Smart Stop Technology® (SST)
Driver and front passenger Advanced Airbag System
Driver and front passenger active headrests
Child-protector rear door locks
Class-IV towing hitch receiver, ATF cooler (not available on
manual transmission), engine oil cooler, power steering cooler,
130-amp alternator, 4- and 7-pin connector with converter, and
Trailer-Sway Control (TSC) (V6 only)
ToyotaCare featuring a complimentary maintenance plan with
Roadside Assistance

Toyota Safety Sense™ P (TSS-P) —includes Pre-Collision System
with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD), Lane Departure Alert (LDA),
Automatic High Beams (AHB) and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
(DRCC) Driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags, driver and
front passenger knee airbags and front and rear Roll-sensing Side
Curtain Airbags (RSCA) LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren)
includes lower anchors for front passenger seats on Access Cab and
outboard rear seats on Double Cab Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS)
with individual tire location alert Engine immobilizer

 

Are you sure about this? When I researched it, it looked like there was no OEM option for adding it. Of all the features it brings, I do appreciate the Rear Crossing Traffic Alert. The BSM not so much to be honest.

 

I am not a fan of BSM for my own vehicle, but I very much appreciate it on other folks' vehicles, esp as a rider. I often look for it to function and it is quite consistent across all vehicles that I have seen. If folks were to change lanes at the threshold, it would be too close for comfort but not cause a collision.

You noted one car length for your other car, which seems about right, but didn't say what your estimate was for the Taco.

 

Yes, the Outback seemed to detect a vehicle in the adjacent lane, approximately 1 or 1.5 vehicles back. In the Toyota, every-time I watched it, it seemed the vehicle was practically on the bumper of the truck. Maybe 0.25-0.5 vehicle lengths to the rear... The RCTA function in the truck works quite well IMHO, but the BSM seems to have two issues:

(1). The notification lamps in the side mirrors are hardly perceptible. Subaru gets the kudos for placing a lamp in the mirror mount pointing directly towards the cabin and forward - better placed in the driver's peripheral vision.

(2). The alerting zone seems too tight to me. I would expect a little more distance behind the truck. Less of an issue if the vehicle approaching in an adjacent lane is at a slightly greater speed than the truck. A bigger issue if the vehicle in the adjacent lane is accelerating or driven at a greater speed than the truck.

 

I have it on my sport, and it is turned off. I dont like using "nanny features" to "tell me" what and when to do things. I like to be fully engaged in the driving experience, and that is using all of your senses, eyes, and ears especially.

lane change: mirrors, blind spot head check, signal, check again, move over. allowing yourself to use a system to tell you when it is safe, is not a good idea, in my mind. if it fails, and you hit another car, person etc... are you going to tell the police, and the families, the cars warning system was at fault? no, you were at fault, you didnt use the system, and redundantly check manually yourself. which is what the system was intended for.

auto claims adjuster here... a few years ago a guy bought a brand new Volvo with the adaptive cruise. during a snow and ice event, he decided to "test" it... running down the highway at 70-75 mph, rear ended a much slower vehicle, expecting the car to brake for him. totalled both cars, and put the car that was hit occupants in the hospital. ice covered the sensors, no warning it wasnt working and the accident happened. all because he decided he wasnt going to brake, and let the car do it for him.

use your senses, drive your car, be part of the experience, dont be a statistic. Ski

 

I used to have a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the only thing I liked about it was the BSM. It gave you the option in the head unit settings of adding an audible alert if your BSM was activated and you put your turn signal on in the direction the BSM picked up a vehicle. The BSM in my truck works well, alerts about 10-15 feet out, and picks up motorcycles well (which I appreciate as a rider as well). Problem is it's very easy to miss the alert unless you are specifically looking for it. I wish they had an audible alert option like the Jeep had.

I look at all the safety tech on my truck as a backup. I'm still primarily responsible for operating my truck safely, but it's nice to have a second set of "eyes".

 

Some people make poor driving decisions that make no sense.

It's good to have these features but they must NOT be used as a default for actual driving awareness.

I test my DRCC (Dynamic Radar Cruise Control) instinctively when I'm on the highway here in Delaware. (I installed an aftermarket vintage grill/garnish)

I keep up with the flow of traffic with at least 3 car lengths stopping distance between me and the car in front of me.

Apparently, because I keep a good distance, drivers think it's OK to slide in between me and the driver in front of me.

Situational Awareness is essential when operating any vehicle.

 

Mine seems to be working as it should.
Once a car is in my blind spot. It alerts me.
No point in alerting me if the car is far enough behind me that if I merge it’s not a hazard.

 

This makes me absolutely nuts. People act like it's their obligation to fill that space. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I took my driver education class in high school, they used to give you a rule of thumb of 1 car length for every 10 mph of speed for safe following distance. I assume they stopped teaching that.

 

I have it on my sport and do not use it as it useless to me. I back up between two vehicles or into the garage the system does not light up. Am I missing something here. just saying.