Driver Visibility Issues in Larger Vehicle Sizes Linked to Increased Risk of Accidents: Report

New testing methods highlight how forward visibility has sharply declined over 25 years, as SUVs and larger vehicles have gained popularity.

Although larger vehicles are generally through to be safer, the new research suggests that the growing size of the top-selling vehicles over the past 25 years has led to larger forward blind zones, coinciding with a rise in pedestrian and bicyclist deaths.

In a report published last month, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) introduced new methods for measuring a driver’s direct field of vision, identifying larger vehicles with taller, blunt-nose fronts as a key contributor to rising traffic fatality rates.

Alongside the growing popularity of larger SUVs and truck designs, which now dominate the U.S. market, traffic data has revealed a sharp rise in deaths among vulnerable road users, particularly among pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists

Between 1997 and 2023, pedestrian fatalities increased by 37% and bicyclist deaths rose by 42%, pushing vulnerable road user (VRU) fatalities to their highest level in more than 40 years.

In a new study, researchers from the IIHS and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center used advanced imaging tools to measure how vehicle blind zones have changed over time. 

The team, led by Alexander Epstein, applied a new IIHS-developed method that combines a 360-degree camera and computer software to map what drivers can and cannot see from the driver’s seat. 

The system simulates different driver heights and creates detailed visibility maps, offering a more accurate assessment than older methods that relied on engineering drawings or laser scans, which often miss obstructions from hoods, mirrors and windshield pillars.

The study focused on six top-selling vehicles, including the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Suburban, Toyota Camry and Honda CR-V, comparing blind zones across major redesigns between 1997 and 2023.

Researchers examined the area within a 10-meter radius in front of each vehicle—roughly the stopping distance at 10 mph, where low-speed crashes involving pedestrians often occur.

Results showed a sharp decline in forward visibility over time, with SUVs losing up to 58% of their visibility in that range, pickups dropping 17%, and passenger cars less than 8%.

“These results are notable because the proportion of SUVs in the U.S. fleet has grown substantially over these years. If further research confirms these findings reflect a broader trend, it would suggest that declining visibility in SUVs has compounded the effects of taller, blunt-nosed vehicles that IIHS has already documented.”

-Becky Mueller, IIHS Senior Research Engineer

The greatest reduction was seen in the Honda CR-V, where visibility fell from 68% in 1997 to 28% in 2022. Similarly, the 2000 Suburban model had 56% visibility, which dropped to 28% in the 2023 model. For both vehicles, increased blind zones were mainly caused by higher hoods and larger side mirrors.

The 1997 F-150 had 43% forward visibility, which decreased to 36% by the 2015 model. Among passenger cars, the Accord’s visibility dropped from 65% to 60%, while the Camry’s fell from 61% to 57%.

Dangers of Increasing Vehicle Size

In the first half of 2024, pedestrian deaths rose nearly 50% compared to the same period a decade earlier. Prior research has linked this increase to changes in vehicle size and shape, including hood design.

Research has also shown that increased vehicle hood heights, commonly found on larger vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks, increase both the injury severity of pedestrians and the risk of pedestrian deaths when an accident occurs.

Another report found that larger vehicles with heavier weights also pose a greater risk of injury or death to occupants during a crash.