Bakersfield Life

Safety in sensors

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      Once of the perks of being married to a cop is that you always feel safe.
      Who wouldn’t feel that way with a guy who knows defensive tactics galore?
      Plenty of women like to feel protected. It’s all about the safety.
      That was one of the leading factors I used to convince my hubby that it was time for us to buy a SUV a couple of years. It’s big, strong — basically, a car on legal steroids, if that exists.
      I never thought I’d feel that way with anything smaller than a SUV. Then I was recently introduced to the 2011 Ford Edge. 
      I’ve always been curious about crossovers. They are right in the middle as far as size. Of course, for me, I’m still one kid short as far as fitting everyone in, but that’s another story.
      The Ford Edge may not have bulked up in size like its SUV big brother, but it did have other “smart” ways to make an on-the-go mommy feel safe. And it came in the form of small sensors.
      Some of the newer cars come with built-in LCD touch screens that give you a glimpse of what you are backing out to once you are in reverse.
      What I liked about the Ford Edge is that the side view mirrors had built-in sensors to cover those pesky blind spots.
      Now I am pretty good driver (my husband will argue otherwise), but there have been a few times when I was about to turn into another lane, and I had to do a double-take because I didn’t see the car in my blind spot. Again, just a few times.
      These sensors will blink automatically if there are motorists in your blind spot before you even make your move.
      Now that’s nice.
       Another thing about reverse, there’s a sound sensor that will alert you if you are gonna hit something as you back out. (This could have came in handy when I accidentally backed out into an 80s-something Camaro outside a shopping center parking lot about 8 years ago. It was a minor ding but my insurance was not a happy camper.)
      As I backed out of my driveway the other day, the Edge sound sensor went off. I braked and looked back, and there it was: the Garcia’s huge trash bin that I was seconds from knocking over. (My oldest forgot to tell me he had placed the trash bin right behind the Edge. “Oh yeah, it’s trash pick-up day, mom,” he later tells me.).  I’ll admit, I have accidentally tipped the bin over a few times before in the SUV. Not a pretty sight.
     There’s also a blinking sensor near the windshield wipers that will alert you of a car that isn’t moving but you are. I learned this while driving through downtown behind a motorist who had just nearly passed a gas station then suddenly decided it needed gas and abruptly stopped to turn into the ampm. I was coming in from behind, but luckily, the sensor gave me enough time to adjust and slow down. (You know those moments, when the “road rage” alter ego wants to jump out of you? Or maybe it’s just me. The good thing: I didn’t experience that transformation, thanks to the sensor).
       I did have fun transporting my oldest sons, along with their teammates and gear, to and from football games at Liberty Park and Bakersfield Christian High School. We play through the wonderful North of the River football league. The kids dug the panorama Vista Roof, which slides open to nearly 40 percent of the top. For parents with active kids or couples with outdoor-loving pets, the Edge works great.
      For me, I loved that the Edge cared about my iPhone as much as I did (it showed my phone’s battery life on the screen). And my thanks to Jim Burke Ford sales guy Pete DeJesus who showed me how to set up my iPhone for Bluetooth and use the voice commands to operate the radio and satellite and make calls. I also appreciated that the Edge alerted me on exactly how many miles I had left before I needed to put gas. OK, so, I tend to put gas pumping off at times. At least, someone was on me about it. Wait, two, if you count Mr. Deputy Sheriff.