Nissan is looking to take the pain out of parallel parking with their new Around View Monitor system, which will make its debut on the Nissan Rogue.
Available as part of the optional SL package, Nissan claims that their parallel parking system is completely unique, and better than the automatic systems found in some luxury models. The system keeps the wheel in the driver's hands, but makes things a whole lot easier.
Using four cameras with wide-angle lenses mounted on the mirrors, rear and front of the vehicle, the system can see absolutely everything around the car. This allows the computer to create a virtual image of the car from an overhead angle. Parallel parking becomes as simple as tracking your progress with this overhead view and switching between the camera angles - similar to having four spotters guide you in.
Bumping into another car while parallel parking is never good, but it typically results in minor car repairs at best. While camera systems and automatic parking can help with these accidents, drivers should ensure that they're up to date with their brake service and tire rotations to avoid more major collisions due to mechanical failings.