What are blind spots? A- Pillars:
A blind spot is the area of the road that can’t be seen by looking forward through your windscreen, or by using your rear-view and side-view mirrors. Blind spots can be large enough in size to easily block another car, motorbike, cyclist or pedestrian from your view.
How many blind spots are in a car?
The average car has 2 main blind spots, generally on the rear left and right side. The main blind spots are
- the area between what you see as you look forward and what you see in your exterior mirror
- the area obscured by the bodywork of your vehicle when you look in your mirrors. Vehicles of different shapes have different blind spots – for example, those caused by window pillars and head restraints.
What are car pillars?
Car pillars are the vertical pillars around the car located between the glass (see diagram below). Typically, A-pillars are located at the front of the vehicle either side of the windscreen, B-pillars, or centre posts are located on the side, often in between the doors and C-pillars at the rear, either side of the rear windshield. Longer ‘estate’ cars may have D-pillars located to the rear, with B and C-pillars located to the side.
The pillars provide structural support to the roof and attachment locations for the doors. The number of pillars vary depending on the make and model of vehicle, as does the length and width of the pillars.
What’s an A-pillar blind spot?
In addition to the more commonly known blind spots at the side of your car, a vehicle's design can also create pillar blind spots. Pillars are located around the glass on your windows. The one which will impact you the most is the A-pillar, which is the material on either side of the windscreen that arches up into the roof. Though smaller than the main blind spots, at busy junctions consider what these pillars could be blocking.
A-pillars located at the front of the vehicle represent a blind spot area for the driver and the wider the A-pillars, the larger the blind spot. The illustration below shows the yellow car turning right at a T-junction with the red shaded areas representing the blind spot areas caused by the A-pillars, endangering the cyclist and motorcyclist.
As seen in the diagram, a person riding a bicycle or motorcycle can be easily hidden within the A-pillar blind spots. A small car can even be concealed within the blind spots. Pulling out of a junction without properly looking can easily result in a collision.
Drivers must take extra care to look properly before pulling out of a junction. Not taking enough time to ensure it’s clear, combined with hazards such as A-pillar blind spots, can result in collisions. Always take another look for motorcyclists, who may be approaching faster than you think, and look out for cyclists at junctions.
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