My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
#1
02-07-2011, 09:15 PM
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My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
I'm curious if anyone else has had this safe-driving issue with their Civic, which has become a big concern for me.
Several times recently, when making left- or right-hand turns, I've nearly run over pedestrians in intersection crosswalks because both A-pillars and adjacent body structures seem to cause excessive frontal blind spots when turning.
I've had three extremely close calls in the past two months where my passenger had to shout at me, "Watch out!" just in time to stop me from hitting an "invisible" pedestrian crossing at an intersection where I had been stopped and was making a simple turn. These incidents all occurred in bright daylight in non-crowded areas with no other distractions.
In thinking about what happened, and considering the anatomy of the Civic's body structure, I believe the steep rake (angle) of the front windshield, the resulting position of the thick A-pillars, the additional front quarter window frames, and the outside rearview mirror positions all contribute to substantially decreased visibility compared to other cars I've owned.
Anyone else had a close call or incident for a similar reason?
Several times recently, when making left- or right-hand turns, I've nearly run over pedestrians in intersection crosswalks because both A-pillars and adjacent body structures seem to cause excessive frontal blind spots when turning.
I've had three extremely close calls in the past two months where my passenger had to shout at me, "Watch out!" just in time to stop me from hitting an "invisible" pedestrian crossing at an intersection where I had been stopped and was making a simple turn. These incidents all occurred in bright daylight in non-crowded areas with no other distractions.
In thinking about what happened, and considering the anatomy of the Civic's body structure, I believe the steep rake (angle) of the front windshield, the resulting position of the thick A-pillars, the additional front quarter window frames, and the outside rearview mirror positions all contribute to substantially decreased visibility compared to other cars I've owned.
Anyone else had a close call or incident for a similar reason?
#2
02-07-2011, 10:43 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New England
Posts: 733
Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
That blind spot was one of the reasons I bought an older used model when I was shopping for a car back in 2007. The first generation had much better visibility.
#3
02-08-2011, 04:51 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 60
Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
I'm curious if anyone else has had this safe-driving issue with their Civic, which has become a big concern for me.
Several times recently, when making left- or right-hand turns, I've nearly run over pedestrians in intersection crosswalks because both A-pillars and adjacent body structures seem to cause excessive frontal blind spots when turning.
I've had three extremely close calls in the past two months where my passenger had to shout at me, "Watch out!" just in time to stop me from hitting an "invisible" pedestrian crossing at an intersection where I had been stopped and was making a simple turn. These incidents all occurred in bright daylight in non-crowded areas with no other distractions.
In thinking about what happened, and considering the anatomy of the Civic's body structure, I believe the steep rake (angle) of the front windshield, the resulting position of the thick A-pillars, the additional front quarter window frames, and the outside rearview mirror positions all contribute to substantially decreased visibility compared to other cars I've owned.
Anyone else had a close call or incident for a similar reason?
Several times recently, when making left- or right-hand turns, I've nearly run over pedestrians in intersection crosswalks because both A-pillars and adjacent body structures seem to cause excessive frontal blind spots when turning.
I've had three extremely close calls in the past two months where my passenger had to shout at me, "Watch out!" just in time to stop me from hitting an "invisible" pedestrian crossing at an intersection where I had been stopped and was making a simple turn. These incidents all occurred in bright daylight in non-crowded areas with no other distractions.
In thinking about what happened, and considering the anatomy of the Civic's body structure, I believe the steep rake (angle) of the front windshield, the resulting position of the thick A-pillars, the additional front quarter window frames, and the outside rearview mirror positions all contribute to substantially decreased visibility compared to other cars I've owned.
Anyone else had a close call or incident for a similar reason?
Apart from the term "A-pillar" (is that perhaps a technical term that I was not aware of?), this post sounds like one I wrote, and posted - you pulled words out of my mind. I find the blind spot especially hard to deal with on the left.
I've kinda developed an obsessive habit to lean forward to look in that area in any situation where I could miss a person or vehicle in that "front blindspot". This has meant I haven't had any close calls I can remember in recent times but it's not easy, and I do wish the body was better designed to avoid this without driver effort.
-ag
#4
02-08-2011, 11:34 AM
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Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
It don't bother me any more! I did have issue's with it for about a year, but its gone. It makes me more careful, I think? H
#6
02-08-2011, 03:50 PM
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Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
I don't typically drive in pedestrian-rich environments but I haven't noticed it in my typical usage. Perhaps it's driver-height related? I'm 5'10" and drive with the seat lowered completely.
Last edited by MLTTASK; 02-08-2011 at 10:07 PM. Reason: misspelling
#7
02-08-2011, 05:07 PM
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Location: Vancouver Island
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Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
I have also noticed this problem with my Civic but have adapted because our '05 Accord also shares somewhat the same issue. What I have relearned when checking at intersections or in parking lots is to look through the side windows above the mirrors. This isn't perfect but it does seem to help.
No doubt a driver's height and seat position will alter the relative interference from the "A" pillar. Some experimenting might help you find a more comfortable way to deal with this "blind spot".
Cheers,
Roger
No doubt a driver's height and seat position will alter the relative interference from the "A" pillar. Some experimenting might help you find a more comfortable way to deal with this "blind spot".
Cheers,
Roger
#8
02-09-2011, 11:29 AM
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Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
Arvind, I searched for your referenced post but didn't find it. Could you give a link to it here, please?
#9
02-09-2011, 12:13 PM
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Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
The emphasis being on the "you pulled words out of my mind" part. Sorry again, when I re-read my previous message, indeed it sounds ambiguous and misleading. --ag
#10
02-09-2011, 04:51 PM
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Re: My biggest Civic gripe: The 'A' Pillar's blind spot
Hahahaha, not a problem. That was good for a chuckle, thanks!
