Here is an exerpt from a CNN article:
One thing many SUV buyers like about their vehicles is the increased visibility. They feel like they can see farther down the road over the roofs of other cars. But that long-distance line of sight comes at a price that can be tragic.
More than 2,400 children are backed-up over every year in the United States. Of those, about 100 are killed. In most cases, those children are run over by a parent or other relative.
It's called the "bye-bye syndrome" said Janette Fennell, founder of the auto safety group Kids and Cars.
Wanting one last chance to see mommy, daddy, or grandmother before they go, a child will run up behind the vehicle at the worst possible time. Small children don't realize that the driver may not be able to see them.
While most drivers are aware that there are areas behind their vehicle in which they cannot see, many don't realize how large those areas can be. The problem is worse in trucks and SUVs than in other cars because of their increased height and the distance between the driver and the tailgate or rear window.
"More and more people are buying bigger and bigger," said Consumer Reports auto test director David Champion, "and the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the blind spot."
Champion illustrated the problem using 28-inch-high cones, about the height of a typical two-year old. The cone had to be 10 feet, 10 inches from the back of a Subaru Impreza sedan before it became visible in the rear-view mirror.
The cone had to be a little over 18 feet to be seen from the driver's seat of a Dodge Grand Caravan minivan and it was invisible up to 25 feet from the back of a large Toyota Tundra pick-up.
From the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Suburban, a large SUV, the cone wasn't visible until it was 46 feet, nine inches away.
For a shorter driver, the blind spots are even larger.
For the whole article, here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/tipsan...ver/index.html
One thing many SUV buyers like about their vehicles is the increased visibility. They feel like they can see farther down the road over the roofs of other cars. But that long-distance line of sight comes at a price that can be tragic.
More than 2,400 children are backed-up over every year in the United States. Of those, about 100 are killed. In most cases, those children are run over by a parent or other relative.
It's called the "bye-bye syndrome" said Janette Fennell, founder of the auto safety group Kids and Cars.
Wanting one last chance to see mommy, daddy, or grandmother before they go, a child will run up behind the vehicle at the worst possible time. Small children don't realize that the driver may not be able to see them.
While most drivers are aware that there are areas behind their vehicle in which they cannot see, many don't realize how large those areas can be. The problem is worse in trucks and SUVs than in other cars because of their increased height and the distance between the driver and the tailgate or rear window.
"More and more people are buying bigger and bigger," said Consumer Reports auto test director David Champion, "and the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the blind spot."
Champion illustrated the problem using 28-inch-high cones, about the height of a typical two-year old. The cone had to be 10 feet, 10 inches from the back of a Subaru Impreza sedan before it became visible in the rear-view mirror.
The cone had to be a little over 18 feet to be seen from the driver's seat of a Dodge Grand Caravan minivan and it was invisible up to 25 feet from the back of a large Toyota Tundra pick-up.
From the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Suburban, a large SUV, the cone wasn't visible until it was 46 feet, nine inches away.
For a shorter driver, the blind spots are even larger.
For the whole article, here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/tipsan...ver/index.html
