That's the question that struck me as I was reading this article in the Detroit Free Press. In it, Jewel Gowapani looks at how various automakers are approaching the problem of blind-spot accidents -- which, at an estimated 395,000 per year, is significant. Some, like Ford, are adding convex portions to side mirrors, which allow drivers to see who's in their blind spot without turning or craning their necks. The more high-tech, radar-based alert systems, once almost solely offered on high-end luxury vehicles but now available on more mainstream vehicles such as the Buick LaCrosse, use sensors to detect vehicles that can't be seen with regular rear-view and side-mounted mirrors.

The cost difference is significant: $10 to $15 per vehicle for the convex mirrors, as opposed to up to $250 for the alert systems, which may be bundled in with other safety and technology packages.

Here's the thing, and I'll make it quick: In my opinion, you need to check your own blind spots, whether by turning your head or using the upgraded mirror (obviously, a fix that doesn't require you to fully turn your head away from the road in front of you is probably the better solution). The pings and beeps and other alerts are, I guess, OK, but as we've seen recently, software in cars can and does fail, sometimes with pretty disastrous results. And the problem with an alert system is that it teaches you to drive without the instinctual, reflexive checks and double-checks that make for good, safe driving. And if that system fails and you're not used to doing things the old-fashioned way, the results would be, well, not good.

At least, that's what I think -- perhaps I'm just being a technophobe. But then again, maybe not. According to the article:
"Another study by AutoPacific, commissioned by auto supplier Magna International -- which makes both types of blind-spot systems -- shows that of 967 drivers who tried both features in a demonstration, 69 percent preferred the less expensive convex mirror over the more expensive radar-based system."

It also notes, though, that radar-based systems are becoming more popular, with 40 percent of new car buyers polled saying they want the system, up from 33 percent only last year.