It helps to see where you’re going when you’re driving down the road, and yet according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center, this basic prerequisite has become far more difficult in modern vehicles. Forward visibility up to 10 meters has become worse in all seven vehicles tested, and as much as 58% worse in some SUVs.
IIHS has developed new techniques that enable researchers to quickly and easily measure the area of visibility from the driver’s seat. The study selected seven popular vehicles sold between 1997 and 2023. During this time, bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities increased by 42% and 37%, respectively, which is why this time period was selected (we already know big vehicles are dangerous for cyclists). The study used IIHS’s new methods to identify blind spots and measure forward visibility up to 32.8 feet (10 meters) away. That may not seem like much, but if you’re making a turn at 10 mph, you can easily stop for a pedestrian or bicycle 32.8 feet away, as long as you can see it first.
The vehicles tested included thee SUVs (Honda CR-V, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Chevy Suburban), two sedans (Toyota Camry and Honda Accord), and the Ford F-150 pickup. A total of 17 different vehicles were tested to measure differences in visibility throughout each generation available between 1997 and 2023. The results show a disturbing trend of consistently worse visibility in all newer models, especially SUVs, which have also become much more popular in recent years.
SUVs are the worst
The Honda CR-V saw the most significant decrease in forward visibility. The 1997 model enabled drivers to see 68% of the area within 32.8 feet of the car. I recall from riding in a friend’s first-generation CR-V just how great the visibility was in all directions. A 2022 CR-V, the first year of the current generation, provided a view of just 28% of the 32.8-foot area in front. The Chevy Suburban saw a similar decrease, from 56% in a 2000 model to 28% in a 2023. The Ford F-150 didn’t drop by as much, but it started with a fairly low visibility of just 43% in a 1997 model, decreasing to 36% by 2015.
Forward visibility in sedans, in contrast, barely dropped at all. The 2007 Toyota Camry had 61% forward visibility, only dropping to 57% by 2023. Similarly, the Honda Accord went from 65% in 2003 to 60% in 2023. That’s just one more reason why sedans are better than SUVs, and we hope they make a comeback.
Interestingly, the biggest cause of reduced visibility in newer models was not the enormous A-pillars many of us complain about in modern cars, but taller hoods and larger side mirrors. While the fact that tall hoods and big grilles kill pedestrians and cyclists isn’t exactly late-breaking news, it’s interesting to see the poor forward visibility contributing to such crashes being measured and documented. Perhaps this will lead to new regulations against hoods taller than my head.
