Face to Face Friday- Kalimah Thompson

In our last Safety Saturday post, we talked about Blind Spot Warning and how it uses lights in your A-pillar or side mirror to let you know there is a vehicle traveling in your blind spot. There is another safety feature in the Safety Sheild 360® suite that uses these same lights and tones to warn you of vehicles crossing behind you. That feature is Rear Cross Traffic Alert. According to Nissan, Rear Cross Traffic Alert "can help detect cross traffic coming from either side of the rear of the vehicle" when you are in reverse. (Safety Shield 360 Walkaround) This feature will only work if you are moving at less than 5 miles per hour. The perfect scenario for this feature is the grocery store parking lot. Have you ever been backing out of your tight space in the Walmart parking lot and been honked at because you almost backed into someone coming down the aisle? This is the perfect feature for you! The Rear Cross Traffic Alert could detect that vehicle and use the same sensors, lights, and tone as the Blind Spot Warning to alert you. In my opinion, this was a genius move on Nissan's part. Using a light placed in an already familiar place will help your brain to recognize the alert easier and may even make your reaction time faster. Rear Cross Traffic Alert is a feature that would benefit all drivers. There are many times throughout the day that we put our vehicles into reverse. Whether we are backing out of the driveway or a parking space, this feature will come in handy.

In today's Safety Saturday post, we are going to discuss Blind Spot Warning. Nissan defines Blind Spot Warning as a feature that "can help alert drivers to a vehicle detected in the blind spot area" by illuminating "an indicator light near the A-pillar or in the outside mirror." This feature is available on most of our new models like the family-friendly 2023 Nissan Rogue and the 2023 Nissan Murano as pictured below. To give you an example of just how Blind Spot Warning works, say you are traveling to Disney World on vacation. You and your family are so excited that you are trying to get there as fast as possible. All of a sudden, someone who is out on a "Sunday stroll" is traveling 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit right in front of you. You know that you will need to change lanes to go around them, so you turn on your blinker, look into your side mirror, and start to move over. HONK! Someone was back there in your blind spot, and you almost went over into the lane right on top of them. With Blind Spot Warning, your equipped Nissan vehicle can be your second pair of eyes and turn your warning light on to let you know someone is in the lane. Here is an example of where the warning light is located and what it looks like illuminated: The system uses small "radar sensors mounted near each corner of the rear bumper" to see those vehicles in your blind spot. Another fun fact about Blind Spot Warning is that the system will light up your warning light while you are driving down the road at all times. The only way that you will hear a chime from the system is if you turn on your blinker while the light is illuminated. This feature will come in handy for many drivers, but it will be even more beneficial to commuters, the elderly, and parents of teenage drivers. If you are a commuter who travels along a busy highway every day, this feature will help you change lanes confidently without taking your eyes off the highway for too long. Elderly drivers who have mobility and vision issues will love this feature because they will no longer have to twist their bodies to make sure there is nothing in their blind spot or squint to see in their side mirror, and parents of teenage drivers will know that their child has that second pair of eyes in their vehicle even when they aren't riding with them. As your local Dothan, AL Nissan dealer, we would love for you to come by and see Blind Spot Warning in action! Give us a call today!

Welcome back to another Safety Saturday here at Bondy's Nissan. Today we will discuss the first feature in the Safety Shield 360® lineup. When most of our customers think about which safety features are the most important to them, they say that their vehicle being able to sense a crash and stop itself is at the top of their list. This is where Nissan brings in Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection. What Is It? Nissan defines this feature as one that "can help detect and even automatically apply the brakes if it identifies there is a risk of a forward collision" which will help you to "avoid a collision or mitigate the effects of an impact". 2 Not only does this include vehicles driving in front of you but pedestrians that step out into your lane as well! This feature will come in handy whether you are traveling on the highway or just driving through the local downtown streets. The feature will operate as long as you are traveling over 3 MPH. How Does It Work? Nissan uses a combination of radar sensors and a front-facing camera to be able to see what is going on in front of you. The radar sensors are used to not only see the vehicle directly in front of you but the vehicle in front of that vehicle. Here is a graphic that will help you to visualize what this looks like: For example, say you are traveling in your brand new 2023 Nissan Rogue on your way to work one morning. You and the vehicle directly in front of you are cruising along in the fast lane of Ross Clark Circle. What would happen if someone cut over from the slow lane in front of the car in front of you? Would you always be able to see that and know to apply the brakes to avoid a collision or help reduce an impact? Not likely. That is where this piece of technology comes in handy. Those radars will be able to see that vehicle, send you an alert, and apply the brakes if needed before you even have time to react. These radar sensors are going to be able to detect vehicles, but the front-facing camera in your windshield is what is going to be able to detect pedestrians. Once the camera detects someone who is walking into your path, it will engage the alert and braking system just like the radars do. Why Does It Benefit You? Simply put, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection give you peace of mind. It allows you to feel confident in your driving knowing that you or someone you love has an added layer of protection that comes standard on all 2023 models. (except Versa S model) Some important things to note: "The radar sensor will not detect animals, obstacles in the roadway, or oncoming or crossing vehicles." 1 "The radar sensor may not detect vehicles ahead in certain weather, driving, and road conditions." 1 "When the system engages the brakes to slow the vehicle, the brake lights come on." 1 "If the cameras or sensors become blocked - for example, during bad weather or when covered by mud, dirt, snow, and/or ice - the "Front Sensor Blocked" message may appear. Or, if only the camera is blocked, the meter icon may flash. This is normal and not a problem. Cleaning or drying the area should remedy the issue." 1 This message will show up on your dash and look like this: If you have additional questions about Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection or any other features on your vehicle, please feel free to reach out to us here at Bondy's Nissan at 334-794-6736. We are your local Dothan, AL Nissan dealer and are happy to help! 1."Tech Notes: Automatic Emergency Braking and Intelligent Forward Collision Warning. Understanding Nissan Technology." Nissan Virtual Academy, lms.nnanet.com/VA3/Pages/ArticlePg.aspx?vw=NNA2100001&path=/content/system_simulatons/en/ArticleCertification/Nissan-AEB-and-Intelligent-Forward-Collision-Warning&ext=.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2023. 2. "Safety Shield 360 Walkaround: Dialing up Nissan Intelligent Mobility." Nissan Virtual Academy, 10 Jan. 2022, lms.nnanet.com/VA3/Pages/ArticlePg.aspx?vw=NNA2100001&path=/content/system_simulatons/en/va_2_0/2021/12/NST/SafetyShield360Walkaround-1221N&ext=.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2023.