วันอังคารที่ 2 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2553

Safe but blind?

Safe but blind?

  • Published: 28/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
  • Newspaper section: Brunch

According to a polular car magazine in the UK, as cars are becoming safer and stronger, drivers' views are becoming more restricted. They say that all-round visibility is generally worse than it was about 15 years ago. Car roof and door pillars have been strengthened and have grown from barely noticeable strips to thick chunks of metal.

Vehicle blind spots account for about 1% of all accidents. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents calculates that eliminating them would prevent about 25 fatal accidents each year.

In the magazine's research, the Smart For Two Coupe [sold in Thailand, but not officially] comes out top for driver's vision with a visibility score of 64.8%, aided by its lack of a B pillar (usually found between a car's front and rear doors). The Fiat 500 [yes, officially sold in Thailand] (58.7%) is second and the Citroen C3 Picasso (58.2%) [do they still sell one here?] is third. The raised driving position in the Ford Galaxy MPV (57.4%) [don't ask for it here] brings benefits for the driver's line of sight, as it does to a lesser extent in the VW Golf Plus (56.2%) [Thailand gets only the hotter conventional hatchback version].

Of the "normal" cars - not including pick-ups - sold in Thailand, I feel the Suzuki Swift and the Mini rank as two with good visibility.

At the bottom of the list, convertibles such as the Porsche Boxster (31.4%), BMW Z4 (38.7%) and Lexus IS 250C (39.4%) [all three officially sold here] rate poorly, though obviously their view improves considerably once the roof is down.

The magazine forgets to mention that's why carmakers these days - especially the luxury ones - install rear-view video cameras as standard or as an option to compensate for their poor rear visibility.


Next Sunday in Drive: Tainted tint film regulations - skin cancer shield or invisible killer?
Watch my latest car video clip on www.youtube.com/wiwatchang, suggestions and non-technical questions welcome at
Critiques
brunchdrive@gmail.com

About the author

columnist
Writer: Wiwat Chang
Position: Motoring Reporter

Kärcher 2.640-729 O-Ring Set für ...
Alles-Sauger Aero 20-11
Bosch 103teiliges X-line Set Titanium
Makita 6271DWAET2 Akkuschrauber Set 55tlg. ...
Metabo 630425000 Schrauben Bits 71tlg. Bit-...
Kärcher 1.723-700 Nass- und Trockensau...
Mannesmann 98430 Steckschlüsselsatz 0,...
Famex 723-50 Mechaniker Werkzeugkoffer Komp...
Makita HR 5000 K Bohrhammer mit 19 mm Sechskant-Aufnahme
Makita JR 3060 T Elektronik-Reciprosäge
Black & Decker KA900E-QS Powerfeile 350W
Black & Decker BDS303-XJ 3in1 Dedektor
Black & Decker HP126F3K Akku-Bohrschrauber 12V
Black & Decker GS2200 Leisehäcksler 2200W
Bosch 103teiliges X-line Set Titanium
Bosch 70 teiliges X-line Set Titanium
Bosch 30 teiliges X-line Set Titanium
Bosch 78221 DMF 10 Zoom Metallortungsgerät
Bosch Lasernivelliergerät PLL 5
Bosch 78425 PLR 30 Laser-Entfernungsmesser
Mannesmann 29065 Haushalt-Werkzeugsortiment im praktischen Koffer
Mannesmann Schnellstartsystem
Mannesmann 92568 Zubehörset für Kleinbohrmaschinen, 200-teilig
Mannesmann 29024 Werkzeugsatz, 24-teilig im Alukoffer
Mannesmann 1799-18 Akku-Bohrschrauber, 18 Volt, 18-teilig
Mannesmann 12596 Bohr- und Meisselhammer, 1500 Watt, 3 Funktionen
Mannesmann 28262 Werkstattwagen, Oberteil mit Werkzeugen bestückt

ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:

แสดงความคิดเห็น