Study: Vehicle blind spots getting worse

WXIN/WTTV - While modern vehicles designs have come with many comfort and safety features, they've also come with a potential hazard: bigger blind spots.




That's the conclusion of a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 




The Institute used a new technique to measure driver visibility in several modern vehicles, compared to the same vehicle models from roughly 25 years ago. It used a 360-degree camera from the driver's seat of several vehicles to create an aerial image that reveals exactly how much a driver can see from behind the wheel. 




The results were not promising.




For example, the study shows the driver of a 1997 Honda CR-V could see 68% of the area 30 feet in front of the vehicle. In a 2025 Honda CR-V, the driver can only see 28% of that area. In a Chevy Suburban, front end visibility went from 56% in 2000 to 28% in 2025.




During this same 25-year period, the IIHS points out that pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have soared 37% and 42%, respectively. And while growing blind spots are only one of many likely causes for the increases, researchers believe more testing on more vehicles will reveal the need to rethink vehicle designs with greater visibility in mind.




While backup cameras and crash avoidance systems are getting more advanced, experts say there's no substitute for an alert driver keeping their eyes on the road--and those eyes should be able to see as much as possible out the window.



via: https://fox59.com/news/study-vehicle-blind-spots-getting-worse/