Understanding the BLIS system: a crucial innovation for road safety and collision prevention
10 February 2024 08:27
Picture this: you're behind another vehicle, or perhaps in the left lane of a motorway, approaching a right-lane driver. In such a scenario, you may observe an orange or red light flashing on their left mirror. Occasionally, this light might be positioned near the mirror. It's an alert for you, as the other driver, signaling that you're drawing close. Additionally, it's a cue that the car's driver is oblivious to your proximity. They haven't clocked you yet.
This is how the BLIS system (Blind Spot Information System) operates. It's designed to alert drivers about objects in their blind spots. A blind spot is a space that a driver cannot see in their mirror, and they might miss it even when swiveling their head.
The BLIS system monitors a much larger area than just the blind spot. It's also programmed to warn drivers about vehicles likely to enter their blind spot. It could be considered that this is an expanse extending from the central pillar (pillar B) to several, or even many, meters to the rear of any adjacent traveling vehicle. A crucial detail is that the BLIS system doesn't issue warnings about vehicles in the same lane or coming up from behind.
Avoiding collisions is the primary aim of the BLIS system. This can happen when the system-equipped driver opts to change lanes. The system's alert is pretty explicit and unequivocal, but that doesn't guarantee that the driver will abstain from such a maneuver. Therefore, if you observe a flashing light on another vehicle's mirror, remember that it's a warning to you, too: the car's driver is unaware of you being close by.
Be vigilant of the indicator lights, which are set on the mirrors in many cars and can be mistaken for the BLIS system light by drivers following behind. Notably, in SEAT Leon models, they bear a strong resemblance. If the driver flicks on their left indicator, intending to switch lanes when you're parallel, they either don't notice you or anticipate your passing or giving way.
