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Valley pair develop cameras to clear
vehicles' blind spots, prevent backup accidents
By Brent Hopkins
Daily News Staff Writer
Reseda - As the massive
SUV backed up, its bumper nearing a kid the driver could not
see, Tom Hilborn braced for the worst.
Watching the near-obliteration of a child caught in the sport
utility vehicle's blind spot shook the automotive designer
as he stood in a grocery store parking lot. Though the child
escaped unscathed and the driver headed off unaware, the
incident inspired Hilborn and his business partner, Ralph
Venegas.
"I've got three kids of my own, so does Ralph. A second one
way or the other, it could have been a tragedy," Hilborn
recalled. "So we started talking about what we could do."
Normally, Hilborn works out electronics and interior details
as the owner of Hilborn Motor Car Accessories.
He'd owned a Lincoln Navigator, so he knew firsthand about
SUVs' blind spots, as he'd backed over plenty of
skateboards, trash cans and bikes. With that in mind, he
began kicking around ideas with Venegas on how to improve
hindsight. |
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The idea itself wasn't new, offered by a
few manufacturers on large SUV's and luxury sedans as a way
to fill in the gap between mirrors behind the hefty
vehicles.
Venegas thought he could come up with a better after-market
version, testing out prototypes built into the third
brake-light assembly on his brother's SUV. The partners then
tested it in the driveway of their Reseda Boulevard shop.
"He plays the kid, I try to back up over him," Hilborn said.
"Haven't hit him yet, though."
As Venegas revised the system, which marries a wide-angle
night vision camera to a 2.5-inch LCD screen built into the
rear view mirror or displayed on an in-dash monitor, Hilborn
drummed up customers. He has placed the $520 system on sales
floors in 12 states and through his own shop. He and Venegas
have spoken to car companies about the possibility of
offering it on new cars.
Hilborn's shop offers the camera for a variety of Ford SUV's
and added GM SUV's and trucks this week. A universal model
for all vehicles will be available in the next couple of
months.
Insurance and child-safety experts praise backup cameras as a
valuable tool in helping prevent these increasingly
dangerous kinds of accidents. Kids and Cars, a child safety
advocacy group, conservatively estimates 72 children were
killed in backup accidents last year, most involving SUV's
and pickups.
"When we started doing this five years ago, it was just a
little factor," said Janette Fennell, founder and president
of the group based in Kansas City, Kan. "Now it's more than
50 percent of the fatalities. The larger the vehicle, the
larger the blind spot."
In an attempt to raise awareness of the rising number of
accidents, the group has lobbied the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration to start collecting the data
both on the accidents and the efficacy of backup cameras.
Even under less tragic circumstances, the accidents can still
prove to be extremely costly. Though the Personal Insurance
Federation of California has no statistics on the number of
accidents, director of communications Jerry Davies praised
the cameras as a smart invention. If they prove effective,
he said insurers could offer discounts to drivers who
install them, given that even slow-speed collisions can
cause heavy damage to a smaller vehicle.
"With SUV's in particular, there's been a lot of backup
accidents," Davies said. "If they break up the bumper,
that's $1,000 or $2,000 worth of damage for a small car."
Hilborn and Venegas hope to also appeal to drivers' love of
gadgetry, figuring that the same driver who craves a
built-in DVD player and video-game system will also like a
camera to show what their eyes cannot. |
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FOCUS ON SAFETY:
HMI INTRODUCES the "CLIP-ON
REAR VISION CAM" (Patent Pending)
Los Angeles, CA. June 28, 2004 -- Due to an alarming
increase in injuries and deaths attributed to vehicles
backing up, HMI introduces the Clip-On Rear Vision Cam.
This remarkable innovation reduces those blind spot
areas to the rear of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV's).
With a growing number of families preferring SUV's, concern
for the safety of children is a top priority. Most SUV's
have 15 to 30-foot blind spots to the rear of the
vehicle. To correct this problem, rear area blind spots
must be visible to the driver.
HMI's commitment to easy installation lets you simply clip
the back-up camera to the top of the rear window. With
the window hatch closed, the unit is virtually
theft-proof. No drilling, no ugly holes, just a clean
installation. Location gives the driver optimum viewing
of cars and obstacles caught in your "blind spots."
The Clip-on Rear Vision Cam is stylized for GM: Tahoe, Yukon,
Yukon XL, Denali and Suburban (2000-2004).
Other back-up cameras are available for vehicle-specific
models: All 2003-2005 Lincoln Navigators and Ford
Expeditions. All Ford Excursions and Ford F150 from 1997
on.
Also ask about our newest products: The revolutionary GM
"TRUCK-CAM" and the Custom UNIVERSAL-CAM.
HMI International has been working behind the scenes
with automotive design firms and manufacturers since
1931.
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