SUV mania goes fatal: Poor front-end visibility causes pedestrian and cyclist fatalities

Share via: Tall hoods, bigger mirrors and blunt noses of SUVs and larger pickup trucks have been impacting the visibility of drivers, causing driving challenges and posing a threat to pedestrians and cyclists. …Read More Tall hoods, bigger mirrors and blunt noses of SUVs and larger pickup trucks have been impacting the visibility of drivers, causing driving challenges and posing a threat to pedestrians and cyclists. Get Launch Updates on Notify me The SUV mania that has taken over the global passenger vehicle market and is witnessing rapid growth, is not only generating revenues for the OEMs’ coffers, but posing a grave threat to fellow road users. A higher-positioned and longer bonnet is reducing the visibility of the SUV drivers. This is causing fatalities for pedestrians and cyclists. Besides that, SUVs are bigger and wider vehicles compared to hatchbacks or many sedans, occupying more space on the road, which eventually adds to the traffic congestion, especially in urban areas. Research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed that the visibility for drivers in some modern SUVs has dropped by more than 50 per cent since the ‘90s. The study analysed 17 vehicles across six nameplates to see how blind spots have changed over the years. IIHS gathered each generation of the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Suburban, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Toyota Camry and Jeep Grand Cherokee from 1997 and 2023. It set up a 360-degree camera system where the driver’s eyes would be and found a significant reduction in visibility. The study found that as cars have grown larger and more stylised, visibility for their drivers has become harder. It also stated that tall hoods, big mirrors, and blunt noses may be worsening pedestrian and cyclist safety. This comes complementing the data that pedestrian and cyclist fatalities continue to increase, by 37 per cent and 42 per cent over the past 25 years, respectively. The researchers have concluded that while there are many factors, one increasingly obvious one is visibility. Numbers ring an alarmThe study found that within a 10-meter radius, visibility for drivers declined as much as 58 per cent for the SUVs over the 25-year period. The Ford F-150 saw visibility fall by 17 per cent. The Honda CR-V saw visibility diminish more than any of the other models, by 68 per cent of the area 10 meters ahead. In the case of the Chevrolet Suburban, the drivers registered a similar drop, from 56 per cent of the area being visible earlier to just 28 per cent in 2023. The study also revealed that sedans saw minimal change in visibility. The smallest decreases in visibility came from the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, where the change was so small that it fell within the margin of error. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 04 Aug 2025, 10:03 am IST
Source: hindustantimes.com