Obstructed Views and Tying Shoes

Hagan Hill’s job as a territory manager for Continental’s Industrial business area means that no two days are the same.

“A big part of my job is working with our customers in a hands-on way,” Hagan explains. “Sometimes, that takes me to a manufacturing facility to better understand a challenge being experienced with a conveyor belt, other times I find myself going down into a mine to ensure our products are working as designed.”

Recently, Hagan found himself onsite with a customer at a rock quarry, a type of open-pit mine in which certain types of rock are excavated from the ground, when advanced safety technology in his vehicle helped him avoid a collision.

“I was backing up to leave the quarry and a piece of equipment had been moved blocking my path forward,” Hagan remembers. 

My backup camera was covered in dust making it impossible to see, however my mirrors were clean and I checked them.

Hagan began to reverse after he confirmed in his mirrors there was nothing behind him, when his vehicle began beeping and automatically stopped his SUV. When Hagan checked his mirrors again, he saw someone standing behind his vehicle. There was a worker kneeling behind the SUV tying his boots and was not visible in the vehicle’s mirrors and could not be seen in the backup camera due to all the dust.

According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), backover crashes are estimated to cause between 6,700 and 7,419 injuries per year.

“When my backup collision avoidance system kicked in and stopped the vehicle, I made eye contact with the worker in my mirror and we both nodded, then he walked away,” Hagan recalls. “Thank God for that safety feature, my vehicle stopped and prevented a crash and potential injury!”