Safe Speed Forums

I'm in an unfamilar car (new shape Honda Civic), approaching a give way line at about 10mph. It's fields either side so visability is fine for the last 4 or 5 seconds upon approaching the junction.

Now, I like to be careful, think motorbike, and go to check the A-Pillar as I stop.

What should pop out from behind the A Pillar but a long wheelbase Ford Transit! WTF! The A Pillars aren't even that big! or so I thought.

This isn't a near miss as I was expecting that there could be something there and no-one was in any danger. but.. a Transit.. Sorry motorcyclists, you guys have no chance when confronted with the average Civic driver. Be careful around them!

Ouch!

Was that a 'tracking' issue, do you think?

When I say 'tracking', I mean that as both vehicles moved the A Pillar stayed fairly precisely between them.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

It almost certainly was (hence the check) I'm more concerned about it being big enough to hide a transit. That massively increases the probability of it being able to hide a motorbike since the speeds dont have to be anywhere near as exact in order to obscure the bike.

Had one myself on the way to work to(last)night.

Approaching a mini roundabout, if it wasn't for the fact I know how bad my A pillars are I might have collided with the vehicle coming from my right. A 5 door Frontera.

Christ! Thanks for the warning Lum! Swindon's teaming with the damn things (Honda factory here and staff get cheep deals and free insurance for any Honda)

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

If you think the Civic is bad, try the Citroen Picasso (Easter Egg on wheels!). My wife had one, not my choice you understand, and I thought it dangerous in respect ot the loss of visibility from the double A-Post'.
Newer cars do have thicker 'A-Panels' than earlier vehicles in order to meet crash test requirements, so maybe it's a trade-off in terms of safety.
She's now got a Mondeo Diesel which has much better visibility in that respect, although my Rover 75 seems to have a thick 'A-Post' in comparison.

In the Spitfire in Summer I just pop my head over the top of the windscreen for a good look [/smug]

Then have to close your eyes because of the slipstream.





Oh no, you said it was a Spitfire - so it wouldn't be going fast enough to have slip stream

Xantia's are the same, massive blind spots.....

Isnt this similar to camera speed enforcement?

just in case you have a crash and roll the car you have very strong pillars (which means they are wider)

unfortunately the wider pillars increase your likelihood of having a crash in the first place

so camera speed enforcement 'works' by reducing your speed so in a crash its less damaging

unfortunately everyone staring at speedos, panic braking at camera's etc increase the likelihood of a crash in the first place

I lost an estate car in mine the other day, although I knew there was something there due to the light on the ground in front.
I'm sure I've lost a van in the past too.

What are these pillars made from? Could they be made of something stronger so they can be thinner?

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Andrew.

Ever tried driving a Peugeot 206? The pillars arent 'that' thick but the angle of the windscreen means that even when I turn my head to look out the side windows I have a huge obstruction to look round. Granted I sit very close to the steering wheel but the difference between my Nissan Sunny (and now another Escort) is noticable enough to bother me! Dont recall actually losing anyhting in the A pillar and as I havent crashed into anything I guess I havent actually lost anything! Another point noted on the driving safety checksheet compiled in my head.

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The police ARE the law, not ABOVE it!!!

Had one today, turning right in a Y reg Astra - almost missed a mondeo coming up to a junction as i was turning right into it.Memo to me to look round pillar in future.

You stole my thunder!

ANybody remember the 50s and wrap-round windscreens@ They certainly were a feature on the Vauxhall Cresta and Victor. I was too young to drive then, so anybody know if they were better at eliminating the A post blind spot ?

Another thing, the Motor or Autocar, I'm not sure which, used to show the all-round vision capability of the car they tested by showing the angle and amount by which each pillar reduced the view. The centre of the circle being betwen the predicted eyes of the driver based on the seat position of an average person.

Nowadays the A posts have got thicker and thicker to improve the crash ratings. OK for the occupants and sod the motorcyclists must be the attitude of the designers, egged on by various European Union barmy army directives!!

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Good manners maketh a good motorist

I had a Vauxhall Zafira on rental while in Ireland a couple of weekends ago. Never again! Every right hand bend on a country road turned into an exercise in neck-stretching as I tried to see where the road was leading.

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Less Kodak, more Kojak.
In times of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

And A pillar's (also other parts of car) are heavier and thicker because of our good friends the EU who seem incapable of thinking the effect of their legislation through

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I walk I cycle I drive and I vote

All this A-pillar problem seems to stem from the designers placing ever-more rake on the front screens to keep our gobs off them in time of shunt. Apart from fitting so many airbags that a clonk must feel like falling into a bucket of titties, the elongated A-pillar does the same job as a goalkeeper moving out of his net to 'narrow the angle' available to the grossly-overpaid goal-hanger trying to put the ball past him.
The screen in my dear old BGT was about a foot from the steering wheel and the A-pillars posed very little visual impedence to the driver, regardless of seat position. But then, old MG's were built with the consideration that they might be used in competition of some sort, whereas modern cars are built with Health And Safety and possible litigation in mind...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Have a Citroen C4 and have the same problem I can hide a Focus size car behind my A pillars. Now look from both sides of pillar, passengers think this quite funny to watch.

By contrast my Xsara had much better visibility, but two points less on the crash test scoring.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

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