Dangerous blind spot for two-in-five drivers, says AA

Blind spots created by a windscreen or door pillar, or the wipers not fully sweeping the windscreen, pose a threat to almost half (44%) of drivers, AA research suggests.

Among those who say their ability to see out of their vehicle is limited, more than a third (35%) have had a collision or near-miss, with 12% doing so while in a car park.

“Over the past five years, blind spots restricting the view of drivers have been a factor in 63 road deaths and more than 1,100 serious injuries,” said Tim Rankin, managing director of the AA’s Accident Assist.

“Clearly, most drivers know where their view outside their vehicle is restricted but the threat of them failing to spot another road user remains considerable.

“Distraction, information overload in busy driving environments and just a ‘bad day’ may lead to a driver not being as diligent as usual in checking where they know they are partially blind.”

Examining where a driver’s view is restricted most, the AA found that a fifth (22%) of all respondents said the side pillar next to or just behind the driver creates a blind spot, while a similar amount (20%) reported that the windscreen pillar creates a significant blind spot.

Meanwhile, 6% said that they have a significant blind spot on the front passenger’s side of the windscreen during heavy rain and snow due to the wipers not covering that area.

Likewise, 5% have the same problem in winter when dirt and excess road salt are thrown on the windscreen.

Similar problems with blind spots on the driver’s side of the windscreen happen for 4% when driving in heavy rain and snow, and 3% due to a build-up of road dirt.

Government statistics show that, in 2022, there were 17 fatal road collisions road where a blind spot was a contributory factor. Of the 929 collisions leading to injuries, 1.8% resulted in people being killed.

The 17 people killed in collisions where a blind spot was a factor reached a five-year high in 2022, the most recent year that statistics have been recorded.

Rankin said: “Blind spots that come and go with weather conditions, such as the build-up of dirt and excess road salt, or wipers not removing rain and snow from parts of the windscreen present a threat that can change in minutes.

“The more than one-in-10 who have collided or had a near-miss in a car park shows that the danger is present even at slow speed and where there are very likely to be pedestrians.”