Go watch this local TV news investigation about front blind spots in SUVs and trucks
0Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21065319/suv-truck-front-blindspot-children-injury-death-wthr-13
Reported today in The Verge.
Go watch this local TV news investigation about front blind spots in SUVs and trucks
As drivers, we typically think of our blind spots as being to the left and right of the vehicle, not in the front underneath the bumper. But as this investigation by a local Indiana television station reveals, many of the most popular vehicles in the US today have shockingly huge front blind spots - and that could spell danger for a lot of people, most notably small children.
It's a problem that's getting worse as American car buyers trend toward larger and larger vehicles, WTHR 13 in Indianapolis reports. Front blind zones associated with large trucks and SUVs have contributed to the injury and death of hundreds of children across the country. (The investigation was published in April 2019, but recently resurfaced on Twitter.)
So-called frontover crashes occur when children are struck by slow-moving vehicles with drivers who typically can't see them. According to safety group KidsAndCars, at least 3,000 children are injured and an average of nearly 60 kids are killed in frontover crashes in the US. KidsAndCars tracked 575 frontover deaths over the past 10 years, compared to 304 deaths in the prior decade - an increase of 89 percent.
To demonstrate just how dangerous these front blind spots can be, WTHR 13 reporters had children sit in a line in front of a Chevy Tahoe and a Cadillac Escalade until their respective drivers could see them. It took nine children before the owner of the Chevy Tahoe could see the tops of their heads, while the Cadillac Escalade took 13 children.
"Oh my gosh, it's absolutely terrifying," the Chevy Tahoe owner said. The Escalade owner was equally disturbed: "That is so scary," she told reporters. "This is just mind blowing. I c