Blind spots are the stuff of ever-rising insurance premiums. So Ford is bringing out two technologies that will help drivers see what they can't see. Both technologies will become standard equipment on certain models beginning in 2009, though Ford has not announced which cars will get them.

The Blind Spot Mirror (pictured here) features a secondary convex spotter in the top out corner, which is aimed exclusively at the driver's blind spot. Unlike similar after-market products, it uses a single glass surface.

The cross-traffic alert system with blind-spot monitoring uses radar to detect objects in a blind spot as a driver backs out of parking spaces–where vision can be blocked by other parked cars. The system has two multiple-beam radar modules in the rear quarter panels. When a vehicle enters the blind spot, an indicator alerts the driver.

Images: Ford