Abstract: A motor vehicle safety device allows the driver to hear nearby vehicles, so the driver can tell by ear when vehicles are in his blind spots, without significantly increasing the sound level inside the vehicle when there are no vehicles close to the host vehicle's blind spot. One benefit of this invention is the blind spot alert, or blind spot warning. Another benefit is that, because this invention communicates aural information from the host vehicle's environment to the driver, the driving experience is sensually richer and more interesting. The driver remains more alert and focused on the driving task. Elements of this invention, all of which are inexpensive, include directionally selective microphones (20) mounted on the vehicle, electronic signal processing (22), and loudspeakers (24) that are mounted close to the ears of the driver.