ScopeOut Mirrors Protect Teen Drivers and Pedestrians

by Stephanie Burchfield
Want to visit the riskiest place in town?  Go to your child’s high school parking lot 5 minutes after school’s out.  It’s scary and “The Parking Lot Dance” plays out thousands of time each day in cities all across the country.  Think of your own shopping adventures. If you’ve ever tried to back out of a parking spot and had your view blocked by large vehicles on both sides, then you know the frustration that led inventor Lowell Martinson to create ScopeOut. 
ScopeOut is a compact mirror device that lets drivers see cars or pedestrians approaching before backing out, even if your view is blocked on both sides by large vehicles, walls, buildings or shrubbery.  It’s one of those clever ideas that leaves drivers slapping their foreheads saying, “Why didn’t I think of that!”  But far from a simple fix, ScopeOut was five years in the making, created by a retired driving instructor who knows too well the risks teens face in high trafficked areas.

Parking lot accidents occur every 2 seconds in this country.  Large vehicles are growing in popularity and cause blind zones for themselves as well as for other drivers.  You can’t easily see around them, especially in traffic when you are trying to change lanes, or in parking lots where your view is limited behind you.  For teens, the scenario is even more dire.  They frequent busy areas, such as sports events, concerts, events and shopping malls.  They have less experience and take greater risks behind the wheel.  Couple that with the fact that they are often in the company of other inexperienced teen drivers, and you have a recipe for parental anxiety.  Even a low-impact collision can cost thousands to repair, and the resulting high insurance premiums can play havoc with your teen’s driving record well into college.