Yesterday, my wife and I were returning from the movies. As we neared a particular intersection, I saw one vehicle coming toward us. Once that car passed, I started to go. A sharp intake of breath and a, "Geez John!" from my wife and I slammed back on my brake. At that moment, out from behind the passenger-side post came an entire other vehicle that I would have hit dead-on had I continued going.
It is funny to think that an entire vehicle can hide behind that post, but, of course, the post is really close to you and the car, for all its size, is farther away.
The posts that hold up the roof/ceiling of the cab area on my vehicle are about 12" wide at the base and a fairly steady 4" wide the rest of the way up. But that width is only about 3' away from me, at the farthest, while the 7' long and 5' wide car is 30+ feet away from me. In this particular instance, the fact that my perspective as the driver was so impeded by these thick, plastic and metal struts nearly caused a hellacious accident.
One thing my wife and I have noticed is that this issue is becoming more pronounced. Newer cars seem to have even thicker, wider posts, and the bases often have speakers and air vents in them, making them even wider. This is problematic as it can seriously impede your ability to see cross traffic, around corners or bends in the road, and can make your "blind spot" even larger -- all of which can increase your chances for being in a collision.
I'm very happy and lucky that my wife wanted to see that movie with me yesterday. If she hadn't, who knows what could have happened?
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At least with those thicker supports, when you have the hellacious accident and end up on your roof, it's less likely to collapse. :)
ReplyDeleteI have been noticing the same thing quite a bit and keep thinking that with technology these days it should be easily possible to build a vehicle with 0 blind spots. Those supports should be able to be built with the ability for light to pass through them. Of course it would still be up to the drivers to look.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with scum & Swoosh. Sometimes though, it's just a matter of that split second where it's impossible to see and that split second where the reaction time is your saviour and it is no one's fault. You weren't speeding, running a stop sign/red light/yellow light, etc. Not malicious, just happens.
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