Beefy A-pillars create new blind spot
The Motor Industry Research Association in the U.K. has conducted a study of blind spots created by heavy-duty A-pillars on modern cars. Designed to provide increased safety in rollover crashes -- as well as increased structural stiffness -- thick A-pillars can also obstruct vision much more than one might think. Dubbed the "a-spot," researches attempted to measure how large the hidden area at a distance of 75 feet would be when traveling at 30 mph. The worst offender was the Jeep Cherokee, with a blind spot almost 15 feet wide under the given criteria. Full list after the jump...
Research in Wales suggests 21 percent of accidents at intersections involve "Looked But Failed To See" as a major factor leading to the collision. Some argue A-pillars should be downsized to deal with the issue. Other simply say drivers need to shift around more in their cars to make sure all their blind spots are clear.
- Audi A4 (0.3m)
- BMW 320 (1.7m)
- Citroen Xsara Picasso (1.7m & 2.0m - split A-pillar; 3.7m total A-Spot)
- Ford Fiesta, 1998 model (1.2m)
- Ford Fiesta, 2006 model (2.4m)
- Ford Focus (2.1m)
- Ford Focus C-Max (3.4m)
- Ford Mondeo (2.7m)
- Jeep Cherokee (4.5m)
- Land Rover Freelander (4.1m)
- Mercedes CLK200 (1.8m)
- Peugeot 307 (0.6m)
- Porsche Boxster, pictured (2.7m)
- Toyota Corolla Verso (1.2m)
- Toyota Prius (2.2m)
- Seat Leon (2.9m)
- Vauxhall Astra (2.9m)
- Vauxhall Vectra (2.7m)
- VW Beetle (2.5m)
- VW Golf (2.7m)