I was driving my wife?s 06 Zafira 2.2 design this weekend and on two occasions I nearly had an accident.
Once at a roundabout where I didn?t see a Toyota Previa (I know its huge) and once where as I was turning at a junction a pedestrian crossed the road in front of me
I gave him and me a bit of a scare as he was invisible behind the blind spot which is the very thick A pillar. My other car a Toyota Sera which I have recently purchased has incredible visibility due to its virtually panoramic glass roof, I guess I?m getting too used to the sera and forgetting about the Zafiras blind spot when jumping between the two. Does anybody know if there is any kind of aftermarket device, modification or tips that could help me. I have experienced a wide range of cars over 25 years of driving but have never come across this problem as bad as this before. I am severely having to alter my driving style to be safe in this car as I am constantly looking out for things that may or may not be there.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 26/03/2008 at 12:53
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It's the same in my C-Max - huge A-Pillars, big enough to hide a car behind. I've had a couple of scares when a car suddenly appears from my blind spot, so I've now taken to leaning forward at junctions to move my view past the pillars.
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I am severely having to alter my driving style
That sounds like the best solution!
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It?s a joke isn?t it, they make the pillars thicker to make the car safer in an accident,
But there is more chance of having a accident because the pillars are so thick.
It?s not normal to have to physically move off the seat to lean backwards and forwards to see around the blind spot.
Maybe it?s a safer way to drive because you have to be so alert at junctions.
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It?s a joke isn?t it they make the pillars thicker to make the car safer in an accident
It looks as though the pillars are padded out with bloated lardy plastic trim... has anyone here seen one of these sectioned?
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It looks as though the pillars are padded out with bloated lardy plastic trim... has anyone here seen one of these sectioned?
sounds like the chap who deseigned it should be sectioned
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Actually have to admit that I have been a little concerned about the lack of visability in modern cars. Not just A pillars, but over shoulder and rearwards too. Recently sat in a Nissan Squashy and drove a Ford Focus (new shape) and thought general visability was fairly poor
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Never drove Zafira, but I heard similar stories about Mitsubishi Colt.
When I drove it, I never faced any problem!
But I think sometimes it *can* be an issue.
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Three more risk factors to look out for when out on a motor bike then - :-(
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Had exactly the same problems with our Zafira B. It doesn't bother SWMBO, I think she sits a bit closer to the steering wheel and lower down, and that helps.
For me, even sometimes when I look 2-3 times, I can still miss stuff.
Also, going round sharp bends or some roundabouts you're almost driving blind.
I have to admit, the A-pillars are such a big downside to this car, that unless the next model is improved, I will probably look elsewhere myself.
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Have a potential solution for you. There is a product called Serraview APS which dramatically reduces the blind spot created by the A-pillar, and it only costs £20. Look at www.bendinglight.co.uk
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I drive a Zafira B 25,000 miles a year & it hasn't ever concerned me once.
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I don't drive SWMBO's Zafira A much but yes, I do find the A pillar's impact of visibility a bit of a pain. I assume that one gets used to it with regular usage.
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Being tall, the rear view mirror causes me an enormous blind spot. I find the answer is quite simply though - I move my head!
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When I drive my wife's Zafira A, I need to make a conscious effort to look around the A-pillar. It's a particular problem on right hand bends and turning right out of junctions. I had a few near misses at first.
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This is exactly my complaint about most modern cars. My Chrysler Pacifica has got a massive A-pillar blind spot and I nearly caused an accident due to not seeing somebody.
It was a joy to drive an old Rover P6 with its (in comparison) panoramic forward vision.
I appreciate that those thick pillars are there to make the car safer in a crash and may even have airbags in them, but by obstructing your view they make it more likely you'll have an accident in the first place!
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Glad it's not just me.
I?ve been driving the wifes Zafira a bit more often recently and have noticed the most dangerous part of any journey with the car is returning home.
I live in small residential road with a sharply curving right hand bend with cars quite often parked on the bend
So as I drive around the bend I try to look through the a pillar/side window, but can?t because of the thick pillar, so, to see if anything is coming I physically have to move and look through the windscreen sideways , otherwise I would be driving blind. In comparison my 18 year old Sera has excellent visability and the same bit of road is never a problem.
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