"Ford's Cross Traffic Alert Watches Your (Car's) Back" Edmunds Daily

Ford's Cross Traffic Alert Watches Your (Car's) Back

Ford got a lot of press by pushing ahead its new Blind Spot Mirror to make it standard on the 2009 Ford Edge, and beating GM to punch in the process. A similar solution (which the aftermarket has offered for years as a simple stick-on) will be part of the 2009 Chevy Traverse crossover when it goes into production this Fall. But there's still no word on when the Blue Oval will begin offering its Cross Traffic Alert that works in conjunction with the company's Blind Spot Monitoring System .

Anyone who has ever blindly backed out of a parking spot into traffic knows how difficult and stressful the maneuver can be. The tail end of your ride has to be hanging out in the street before you can determine if a car, motorcycle, bicycle or 18-wheeler is barreling down the boulevard towards it.

Ford's Cross Traffic Alert system will employ two multiple-beam radar modules in the rear quarter panels to identify when a vehicle or other oncoming object is in the driver's blind spot on either side. And if something is bearing down on your rear end, an indicator light in the side mirror and an audible alert tips you off to protect your tail and an in-dash displays tells you which direction to expect to hear a horn blow.

The Cross Traffic Alert kicks in when the transmission is shifted to reverse and Ford claims it has a 65-foot range. Ford also says that the system watches your car's back when easing out of angled parking spaces since it has a wide field of view.

Chrysler announced its own version of this technology, called Rear Cross Path, which works much the same way and also includes visual warnings on a side mirror and an audible alarm. The company also bowed a Blind Spot Monitoring system that uses a side-mirror visual indicator and audible alert. Both technologies will be available on the 2009 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans.

Ford hasn't revealed when the Cross Traffic Alert will be available or the specific models it will appear on, only that it will debut on certain 2009 vehicles.