If you haven’t bought a new car within the past couple years it may be out of touch when it comes to safety technology. Older cars will lack many high-tech safety features, like a rearview camera, that are increasingly found in newer cars.
But that doesn’t mean that you have to be left out of the technological revolution. Audiovox makes a rearview camera that can be added on.
The rearview camera is one of the most popular of a growing list of add-on devices and services that promise to bring modern features to aging jalopies.
“Lane departure and collision warning, pedestrian warnings, high-beam control and traffic sign recognition — all of those can be retrofitted in a customer’s car,” said Elad Serfaty, a vice president at Mobileye, whose technology is built into a variety of vehicles from BMW, Volvo and other carmakers that offer collision detection and prevention.
A warning and monitoring system that can be added to older vehicles, like the Mobileye 660, costs roughly $1,000 including a professional installation, Mr. Serfaty said, but he pointed out that the benefits could outweigh the costs. A Highway Loss Data Institute study of Honda Accords and Crosstours equipped with lane departure and forward collision warnings, for example, found a 14 percent reduction in damage claims compared with models without the systems.