Concern has been expressed, particularly in the UK, that the front window pillars (A Pillars) in modern cars are becoming wider and as a result the possibility of a motorcyclist being obscured by the A Pillar has increased.
A Pillars are becoming wider to accommodate air bags or to improve roof strength in the event of a roll over.
The Transport Research Laboratory Limited in the UK has researched this issue and produced a report.
“Investigation into ‘A’ pillar obscuration” – a study to quantify the problem using real world data”,
TRL Report No. PPR159, March 2006.
As part of the research they reconstructed 10 crashes in which it was thought A Pillar obscuration could have been a factor.
Three of these crashes involved motorcycles, all at T intersections where a car was turning right and a motorcycle was approaching from the right. In one case the motorcycle was obscured for 4 seconds and in the other two for about 2 seconds. A moped was involved in another case at a T intersection but it was determined that a parked car played a greater role in obscuring the moped than did the A Pillar.
It is of concern that out of 10 cases investigated, 4 involved motorcycles or a moped and that the motorcycles were obscured for between 2 and 4 seconds.
As it is possible to travel a considerable distance in 2 to 4 seconds and motorcyclists should be aware that they could be invisible to a car driver for this period of time.
The NRMA have developed a Vision Index to rate cars on how well drivers are able to see out of different model cars,
information on this index can be found here
Contact Info
Motor Cycle Council of NSW
PO Box 517
Parramatta 2124
Ph: 1300 679 622 (1300 NSW MCC)
General Enquiries
Please direct enquiries to:
MCC Email
enquiries@mccofnsw.org.au
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