Safety concerns over 'A' pillars

Sorry mate, I didn't see you...

By PH Staff / Friday, 6 October 2006 / Loading comments

Biker disappears behind 'A' pillar

The dangers posed by ever-thicker 'A' pillars in today's strengthened cars is coming increasingly under scrutiny. Research findings published yesterday by Autoglass warn drivers of 4x4 vehicles about the dangers of A pillar blind spots.

Road safety campaign Safe Speed campaign said it's been highlighting this danger for years but warned that that it isn't only 4x4 vehicles that suffer these problems.

'A' pillar blind spots are believed to be a common cause of 'Sorry mate, I didn't see you' (SMIDSY) crashes, and are especially dangerous to bikers.

Following Safe Speed's work on the issue with Bike magazine, published in September 2004, the Department for Transport commissioned urgent research. Safe Sped said it believed that the research was completed in March 2004, but that it remains unpublished for reasons unknown.

Campaign founder Paul Smith said: "Many cars in all classes have 'A pillars' that are wide enough to cause potential dangerous obstructions to drivers' vision. Safe Speed has been working to highlight the issue since 2002. Our findings, warnings and recommendations are published on the Web (see link below).

"The warnings published by Autoglass should be extended to all drivers. Making cars stronger and more 'crashworthy' has had the side-effect of making A pillars wider and stronger. The effects on drivers' vision have been largely ignored until recently."