Vehicles with large driver-side blind zones are much more likely to strike crossing pedestrians while turning left than those with small blind zones, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has shown.
A large driver-side blind zone raises the risk of a left-turn pedestrian crash 70% compared with a small blind zone, the study found. Researchers found thick and slanted A-pillars, bulky side mirrors, and tall, long hoods all obstruct driver views. The field of view offered by the windshield, which alters the location of the blind zones, was also said to affect the driver’s ability to see.
In the study, IIHS researchers revisited turning crash risk, examining the influence of blind zones and other design elements that affect the driver’s ability to see.
Using a camera-based technique developed by Institute engineers, the researchers measured the blind zones of 168 vehicles from the vantage points of an average-size man and a small woman. The two heights correspond to the size of dummies commonly used in crash tests and represent a wide range of the driving population.
Across all vehicle types, the average driver-side blind zone blocked 27% of the area to the left and front of the vehicle for a 5-foot-9 driver. For a 4-foot-11 driver, the average blind zone blocked 33%.
“These results clearly identify problematic aspects of vehicle design,” IIHS President David Harkey said.
“The challenge for automakers will be to find ways to address them that don’t diminish the protection vehicles provide to their occupants in a crash.”
