New Study Finds Modern Cars Struggle With Blind Spots

According to a new study from researchers at the U.S. Department of Transportation, published in the SAE International Journal of Transportation Safety, forward visibility has drastically declined over the past 25 years—especially in larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks.

The research, shared by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), used a new methodology to measure blind zones from the driver’s perspective and found some concerning trends.

In 2022, vulnerable road user deaths in the United States rose to their highest level in more than 40 years. Part of the problem is growing vehicle sizes, especially taller front ends, which look to be creating larger forward blind zones.

Researchers measured the blind zones of six top-selling light-duty vehicles across multiple redesign cycles (1997-2023) to determine whether the blind zones were getting larger.

In order to quantify the blind spots, a markerless method, developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, was used to calculate the obscured and visible areas at ground level in the forward-most 180-degree arc around the driver at ranges of 10 m and 20 m.

One of the more negative outcomes was the Honda CR-V. In 1997, drivers could see 68 percent of the area within 10 meters directly ahead of the vehicle. In its 2022 form, that figure dropped to just 28 percent—a 40-point decline. The Chevrolet Suburban suffered a similar fate, falling from 56 percent visibility in 2000 to 28 percent by 2023. That’s less than half the visual range ahead of the vehicle compared to its early iterations. The Ford F-150 didn't perform as poorly, but the drop off was still noteworthy—dropping from 43 percent visibility in 1997 to 36 percent in 2015.

The study attributes much of the decline in forward vision to increasing hood height, bulkier A-pillars, and larger mirrors—ironically, design elements largely added to meet crash test requirements.

Not all vehicles suffered the same fate. Traditional sedans like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry posted minimal changes over the same period. The Accord’s visibility dropped by just 5 percent over 25 years, while the Camry’s changed so little that the IIHS said it fell within the margin of error. That tracks with their smaller size and generally lower ride height, which places drivers closer to the ground and closer to the front of the car.

According to the IIHS, larger blind spots in modern SUVs and trucks increase the risk of hitting unseen individuals, particularly small children and cyclists who may be hidden behind elevated hoodlines. This just sounds like common sense. Fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists have risen sharply in the U.S.—up 37 and 42 percent, respectively, from 1997 to 2023. In 2022 alone, 7,508 pedestrians were killed by vehicles.

While buyers increasingly favor larger vehicles for their perceived safety and utility, those same traits are making roads more dangerous for everyone outside the vehicle. Sounds like we need to migrate back to sedans and wagons for the greater good of America.

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