Q: I recently had a close call with a pedestrian. I looked both ways before pulling into the intersection, but he seemed to appear out of nowhere, right in front of my car. How is that possible?
A: Back when I went through driver’s ed . . . I know this sounds like a setup for a story where I teach the next generation about life by telling them about walking to school up hill both ways barefoot in the snow, but its’ not; stay with me. Back when I went through driver’s ed we were taught about blind spots. We know blind spots are the areas just behind the driver, on either side of the car, where a car, bike or pedestrian could be invisible due to a poorly adjusted mirror and a failure of a driver to turn and look.
With modern cars, there is another blind spot that I didn’t learn about in driver’s ed. We don’t often talk about, mainly because most people don’t even know it exists. It’s the A-pillar blind spot. We’ll get into the details, but first some car anatomy. On a car, pillars are the parts that connect to the roof to the body. The A-pillars are on either side of the windshield, the B-pillars are behind the front doors, and the C-pillars are on either side of the rear window.
As engineers have designed cars to better protect occupants, the A-pillars have grown wider, and as they have designed cars to be more aerodynamic, windshields have become more sloped. On the plus side, drivers get a car that has improved crash protection, room for an airbag in the A-pillar, and improved gas mileage. On the downside, it can result in a serious reduction in visibility. The problem usually manifests itself on the driver’s side of the car, often when making a left turn, but even the A-pillar on the passenger side can affect the driver’s view.
The A-pillar blind spot can block a driver’s view of a pedestrian, a cyclist, and even a small car. The severity of the blind spot is dependent on the car’s design and how the driver fits in the car. It can be particularly challenging for shorter drivers. To understand why, try this experiment. Hold your thumb out at arm’s length in front of you and close one eye. Notice how much of your view is obstructed by your thumb. Not much, right? Now bring your thumb closer to your face. The closer your thumb gets, the more it blocks out your view. It’s the same with drivers. The further forward your move the driver’s seat, the closer you are to the A-pillar, blocking more of your view.
Most likely, the instantly appearing pedestrian in the question is a result of the A-pillar blind spot. Fortunately, just knowing that the blind spot exists is a big help in reaching a solution to the problem. And the solution is simple – move your head. Hopefully, you already look each way twice before pulling into an intersection. If that’s your habit, just modify it a bit. On your second look, bob your head forward a little – like Bert on Sesame Street doing the pigeon dance. Or like a pigeon, if you’re not familiar with the Sesame Street reference. That changes the angle of your view, revealing anyone that might have been hidden by the pillar.
You don’t even have to look like a pigeon to solve the A-pillar problem. Just shift your position in your car while you’re looking for pedestrians and traffic so you can see around the pillar. Simple changes to our driving behavior can have a profound impact on our safety and the safety of others on the road, especially vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. By being actively observant drivers we make our roads a better place to travel.
FAQs
A-pillar blind spots
Specifically, an a-pillar blind spot is in the places where the windscreen meets side windows diagonally ahead and to the left and right of your view. These are smaller blind spots – but all drivers should be conscious of what smaller vehicles could be missing from their view.
Why are a pillars so thick? ›
As engineers have designed cars to better protect occupants, the A-pillars have grown wider, and as they have designed cars to be more aerodynamic, windshields have become more sloped.
What is an A-pillar on a car? ›
The A-pillar is the forward-most pillar on a vehicle, supporting its roof at each corner of the windshield.
What are the 4 blind spots of a car? ›
There are four main vehicle blind spots. Naturally, they are in the front, rear, and sides. Different vehicles have different blind spot sizes and locations. Generally speaking, small cars have two (left and right sides), but large vehicles such as trunks have all four blind spots.
What is the plastic piece hanging under the front of the car? ›
It prevents small rocks, nails, water, or dust from directly reaching your engine, protecting it from the harsh conditions of the road. While it is called an "engine splash shield," it protects more sensitive parts besides the engine.
What does a pillar do structurally? ›
A pillar is a large, typically cylindrical or square, solid structure that stands upright as support in a home or building, either structurally or aesthetically. Pillars can be designed to hold weight from roofs, second floors, or ceilings to help make the building or home structurally safe and sound.
Why are pillars strong? ›
Columns or pillars are vertical elements that support compressive and bending forces, transmitting all the loads of the structure to the foundation. They are one of the most important elements for the support of a structure and therefore, their execution requires special attention.
How was the pillars formed? ›
The pillars themselves are the product of a massive nearby O-type star that sculpted the gas with its powerful winds. O-stars are the universe's largest, hottest stars and live short lives that wreak havoc on their environments. Their intense radiation heats up surrounding gas to form expanding bubbles.
Do blind spots ever go away? ›
Some of these blind spots are temporary. If they are, they'll go away once your migraine is over or your blood pressure becomes stable. Other times, a disorder causes the scotoma. In these cases, the scotoma might not disappear and might even become larger.
What is a floating blind spot? ›
The appearance of floating spots or strings in the visual field is typically a sign of benign eye floaters. A blind spot in the vision can be related to macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, or a transient ischemic attack or stroke. Seek immediate medical care for vision changes that come on suddenly.
Positive scotoma.
Central vision is the most acute part of your vision and allows reading and precision work. Central scotomas make these activities impossible although peripheral vision allows affected people to get around. Blind spots are normal, but some -- including central scotoma -- can harm vision.
Why is it called the A pillar? ›
The “A” pillar of an automobile is the structure that connects the side of the body of the car with the roof of the car and to which the windshield is attached. It is the first (from the front) support for the roof and, thus, is called the “A” pillar. The “B” pillar is behind the driver and front passenger seats.
What is the difference between the A and B pillars? ›
In the case of cars, “pillars” refer to roof pillars, and they're lettered front to back. A-Pillars straddle the windshield, B-Pillars are in the middle of the passenger compartment (just behind the front doors) and C-Pillars are those at the rear of the passenger compartment.
What is the A pillar on an SUV? ›
The A-pillar is the structural upright that partially frames the windshield. A-pillars (one on each side of the body) are joined across the top of the windshield by the header rail. The base of the windshield where it meets the hood is called the cowl.
Where is the blind spot indicator? ›
If a vehicle is detected, drivers usually get a visual warning, commonly in the side mirrors, or on the front pillars next to the driver's window.
Where are blind spot sensors? ›
There are usually several blind spot monitoring sensors mounted to the side mirrors or rear bumper of a vehicle. Blind spot monitoring systems alert drivers using audio and visual warnings once they detect an advancing vehicle.
With modern cars, there is another blind spot that I didn’t learn about in driver’s ed. We don’t often talk about, mainly because most people don’t even know it exists. It’s the A-pillar blind spot. We’ll get into the details, but first some car anatomy. On a car, pillars are the parts that connect to the roof to the body. The A-pillars are on either side of the windshield, the B-pillars are behind the front doors, and the C-pillars are on either side of the rear window.