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In 2017 I bought a 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. With the advanced four wheel drive system it was about as high tech a vehicle as you could get. After reviewing the manual, I was consciously aware that it had a blind spot sensor and how it worked, and still the first time I was driving down the highway and a bright yellow triangle appeared in my side view mirror it was somewhat disconcerting...bright yellow triangles are never good. At first it took some getting used to, then I became more intrigued. I'd deliberately "test" it by passing people, watching them in my mirror and thinking how cool it was how that triangle would light up as soon as the other car disappeared into my blind spot.

Then...I became overly reliant on the damn thing, and found myself just checking for the triangle before changing lanes rather than actually looking at the side view mirror to see if there was a vehicle that was not in my blindspot. One time I was on the interstate do around 75-ish. I put on my turn signal to move into the passing lane, checked for the yellow triangle which wasn't there and started to drift into the passing lane when a car that was right there hit their horn and got my attention. Had I actually looked in my side view mirror and not just checked for the yellow triangle, I would have seen him.

So now, I just drive like I used to before I ever had the blind spot sensor, and turn my head to check my blind spot, just like I always did. That's just one of a myriad of features that we pay for that I'd just as soon not have.

“So now, I just drive like I used to before I ever had the blind spot sensor, and turn my head to check my blind spot, just like I always did. That’s just one of a myriad of features that we pay for that I’d just as soon not have.”

I am 79.

I conditioned myself to quickly look at the BSM then transition to the mirror. I also have a long standing habit of maintaining awareness of traffic all around me.

then there is the radar on all sides and a car will come up to you on the left and so it beeps and makes you jump. Everyone 70 miles an hour cause that’s what you need. But what’s funny is when it rains really hard than the sensors get messed up and then they start flashing all over the place. There’s a button that you can use to turn them off and I’ve always thought about doing that.