INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY COMPLAINT COVERS ALL RADAR BASED BLIND SPOT MONITORING DEVICES. THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO HAS PERSONALLY OCCURRED TO ME TWICE WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. I WAS ONE IN A LINE OF VEHICLES DRIVING ON A CLEAR HIGHWAY WHEN AN AUDI WITH BLIND SPOT MONITORING ENTERED THE HIGHWAY DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE LINE OF VEHICLES. BECAUSE OF THE LOW POWER OF ITS BLIND SPOT MONITORING SYSTEM'S RADAR COUPLED WITH THE EFFECTS OF THE INVERSE SQUARE LAW OF PHYSICS, THE RADAR DETECTOR EQUIPPED DRIVER CLOSEST TO THE AUDI THOUGHT THEY WERE BEING MONITORED BY INSTANT ON POLICE RADAR AND JAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES, CAUSING PANIC STOPPING BY ALL OF THE VEHICLES BEHIND THEM. MYSELF AND SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES WERE REQUIRED TO USE THE ROAD'S SHOULDER TO AVOID BEING REAR-ENDED. I FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT WITHIN THE US THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THESE DEVICES, YET THE ACCIDENT WILL NEVER BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE BECAUSE THE DRIVER WITH THE BLIND SPOT MONITORING DEVICE WILL BE OBLIVIOUS TO THE CHAOS THEY CAUSED BEHIND THEM, AND THEY'LL IGNORANTLY CONTINUE DRIVING. THESE DEVICES SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE DISABLED, AND ANYONE THAT THINKS THESE ARE A GOOD IDEA SHOULD BE REMINDED THAT THEY SHOULD TURN THEIR HEAD AND LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER BEFORE MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY, OR CHANGING LANES. LET'S PROMOTE SMARTER, MORE AWARE DRIVERS, AND NOT SMARTER CARS. [XXX] *TR

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10326100 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov