Safety Features You Can’t Live Without

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A couple of weeks ago, my dd’s softball team had a fundraising car wash at a local car dealer. My SUV had already been through the line and we were winding down, so my dh had me go get his SUV from the parking lot to run through the wash tunnel. I got into the driver’s seat, did a quick adjust of the seat and rear-view mirror (he is 6’5” and I am not), started the ignition, began to back out and froze. I couldn’t remember how to do it!

I mean, of course, I back out all the time. But I have a backup camera to assist me and in his SUV, I don’t. His SUV is a 2004, before backup cameras were commonplace in vehicles; in fact, I think at that point in time, it was a nearly $1500 add-on. I looked in the rear-view mirror, looked in the side mirrors, turned and looked out the back windows, and yet still felt like I was missing huge chunks of visibility. Even though I knew no one was behind me—it was a deserted parking lot since the dealership was closed and I was the only one there at the time—I still felt like I could hit someone or something. It scared me. Anyway, I did make it safely to the wash line and handed the keys back to dh. He can have his SUV. But not for long. Soon his backup screen will be even bigger than mine or yours ;).

I know that my seat belt and airbags are an important safety feature, of course, as are the steel reinforcement bars in the door, etc., etc., etc., but for driving on a daily basis, I cannot drive without my backup camera. I’m too dependent on it. Is there a feature in your car that you’ve come to rely upon heavily?

6 Comments

  1. luckyclov March 14, 2013
  2. luckyclov March 14, 2013
  3. Jennie March 6, 2013
  4. Darren Qunell March 5, 2013
  5. crunchy March 4, 2013
  6. Jools March 4, 2013