We’re all back in lockdown and you know what that means- less time to get in the car & drive. We here at Elinz thought that it’s the perfect time to get a guide up and running on the most common issues with cars so that when the roads open up again, you’ll be equipped with a wealth of information that you can try out when you’re out there on the road again!
This is the first of a multi-part series that you will see in our blog weekly, as we’d like for you to all stay safe, even if there’s less traffic out there when you go for your grocery runs or grabbing the essentials.
Let’s start with a heavy topic but isn’t addressed enough times - blind spots.
What Is A Blind Spot?
A blind spot is exactly as it sounds - a spot, from the driver’s seat, that is unseen due to a number of reasons; primary of which is the driver’s current position and the unavoidable visual impediments that create the blind spot.
If you’re not sure which are your car’s blind spots, here’s a quick test that you can do:
Get in the driver’s seat, drive out your car to a relatively wide area (your yard works just fine, but for this test’s purposes, try and do this out in a parking lot or a wide-open area).
Now, if you’re driving a regular sedan, you have 3 sets of pillars, namely the A, B & C pillars. For some vehicles, this goes as far as D (for 4WDs and smaller trucks). Here’s a quick guide on where they’re located:
Now, why are these pillars important?
These pillars are the cause of the blind spot. So when you’re out in a wide-open space, have someone with you, outside of the vehicle, start from each side of the pillar, and continue to move outward.
Once they’re obscured for ¾ of their body, you can then say that it is a blind spot. Now that you know where it is, you’ll know where to take extra care when you’re out there on the road.
How To Avoid Having Blindspots?
You can’t. Pillars, as their name suggests, are there to support the roof of your vehicle; they’re parts of your car’s door hinges, and they’re also part of what makes your car’s structural integrity.
That’s not to say that manufacturers are in agreement that it’s a hazard - most carmakers have acknowledged this and made workarounds, such as sensors that beep when something comes in close proximity with the blind spot.
Nothing beats awareness and defensive driving though, and practicing these efforts, on top of mindfulness when driving makes sure that you’re safe while you’re driving.
All over the world, blind-spot related accidents account for hundreds of thousands of accidents. In the US alone, there are 800k blind-spot related accidents that happen every year.
What about the rest of the pillars?
Pillars B & C are also known to cause visual impediments to drivers. If you thought that A-pillars were problematic, B & C pillars are bigger, therefore they create bigger blind spots. While it can be justified that they’re at the sides of the vehicle, it can still cause issues when you’re turning left or right.
Luckily, you can try angling your mirrors in the right way, which you can see here.
If you’re driving a larger vehicle, these blind spots can be even bigger not just because of the pillars, but also elevation. These are all factors that can be solved by getting a reverse or side camera, which is good for professional drivers and truckers that need to take extra care of their vehicle, especially being extra mindful of their fellow motorists.
If you’re looking for some great reversing cameras, get yours here today.
Since we’re talking about reverse cameras, let’s also talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to lack of visibility with cars…
What about the rear of my vehicle?
We saved the best for last in this article; what indeed about the rear of your vehicle?
It’s got the most massive blind spot possible, which is why there are a lot of vehicles that get rear-ended all over the world - one could say that it happens at any given moment all over the world.
In AU, according to the Sun Corp Group, about 12% of all accidents that happen on Australian Roads come from reversing - which, while seemingly small, is actually consistently the second reason why there are accidents out there related to vehicles.
While rearview mirrors are fairly reliable as long as they’re placed correctly (which you can refer to with a link above), nothing beats the reliability of reverse cameras. You’re not able to see what’s directly behind your car’s trunk, and this extends out the farther it gets; so if you can, get a reverse camera that can be installed directly at the rear of your vehicle.
If you’d like to get one without breaking the bank, you have tons of options here at Elinz - we have an entire category for reverse cameras that you can see here!
That’s it for today - make sure to check back every week for this multi-part series focused on vehicular safety here at Elinz.
