Safety concerns over poor van designs
publication date: Oct 31, 2009
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New safety designs are posing dangers for road-users say researchers. The question now faced by taxi licensing authorities up and down the country, including London’s Public Carriage Office, are van based vehicles safe to be used as taxis? Why? Because some of today’s conversion type Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles are based on van-type commercial vehicles which a recent survey commissioned by Autoglass and undertaken by MIRA (formerly the Motor Industry Research Association), were shown to have dangerous blind spots caused by the thickness of the A-pillars on either side of the windscreen. These pillars are wide enough to hide a cyclist, motorbike or a group of people from the view of the driver. The Autoglass report said in the MIRA findings the Ford Transit revealed appalling results with an A-Spot measuring 6.4 metres - three times larger than the best performing saloon car - the Mercedes C Class, and capable of hiding two full sized motorcycles or a group of cyclists from the driver's view. The Mercedes Benz Sprinter and Vito, now used as the base vehicle for the Mercedes Taxi, also displayed shocking marks with A-Spots of 6.3 metres and 6.2 metres, capable of hiding a group of 15 children. Even the small models didn't escape the horrendous blind spot with the VW Caddy having an A-Spot of 4.2 metres. MIRA were commissioned to test driver vision in different makes and models of modern vans and cars. The tests included a calculation of the A-Pillar blind spot, or 'A-Spot' - the width of objects obscured from a driver's vision at 23 metres; the stopping distance required when travelling at 30mph. With over 1,800 cyclists and motorcyclists involved in accidents Autoglass is keen to warn of the potentially fatal blind spot problem. According to Autoglass there are 14,600 accidents involving vans on UK's roads each year. Whilst this latest report specifically highlights the flaws in the design of vans the taxi industry should be aware that the same problems apply to van based passenger vehicles as well. |