3 ms·

Good riddance. Crosswalks at intersections are nearly obsolete due to the thick A-pillars in modern cars. I would rather have mid-block crosswalks with warning

• jklinger410 2y ago
  > Crosswalks at intersections are nearly obsolete due to the thick A-pillars in modern cars. What?
  • consteval 2y ago
    They mean people standing up are invisible to cars in a lot of perspectives.
  • maxwellg 2y ago
    A-pillars are the pillars of a car that support the windshield and the front of the roof. They've gotten bigger in recent years - which reduces the visibility of pedestrians, cyclists, and other cars. Drivers can't see through pillars. Big pillars are safer for the driver in case of a collision or a rollover, but paradoxically also makes that car more dangerous for everyone else on the road. I don't think they make crosswalks obsolete, but crossing the road is more dangerous today than it was 50 years ago. https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/06/08/pickups-suvs-are-driving-the-pedestrian-and-cyclist-death-epidemic-but-the-tide-may-be-turning#:~:text=The%20design%20of,crossing%20the%20road https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/06/08/pickups-suvs-are-driv....
    • jklinger410 2y ago
      Yeah okay, I understand pedestrian visibility. But cross walks have nothing to do with that really? Like it's a place where you (usually) stop and when you are stopped, pedestrians can go. I don't see how jaywalking would be better than a dedicated place where pedestrians are expected to be. Thick a-frames or not.
      • mywittyname 2y ago
        > But cross walks have nothing to do with that really? The posted article mentioned accidents specifically at cross walks. > The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers of SUVs, pickups, vans, and minivans are “substantially more likely” than car drivers to hit pedestrians when making turns, The reasoning though is mainly speculation. I've found that minivans offer exceptional visibility. So it could be as simple as people who buy SUVs, minivans, and pickups are just worse drivers than those in coupes and sedans. My theory is that people just don't consider pedestrians when making left turns at intersections with cross walks. Instead, they focus on oncoming traffic and commit to a turn before looking at where they are going.
    • mywittyname 2y ago
      Your citation blames the size of vehicles for the increase in danger, not A pillars specifically. And the demonstration was how many children could be sitting in front of a pickup truck before the driver could see them. > “They are larger, heavier and higher up from the road than smaller cars and create blind spots that make it challenging for drivers to see vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists,” I drive a car with enormous A pillars (coupe version of a convertible) and never have issues seeing the children playing in the street because of it. Likely because most 8 year olds would be at eye level with me. A modern F150 however, an entire car could be obscured by the long, high hood of those.
      • maxwellg 2y ago
        You're right - here's a better source https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2249 https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2249 and commentary https://www.autotrader.ca/editorial/20220510/large-forward-blind-spots-could-be-contributing-to-pedestrian-collisions/ https://www.autotrader.ca/editorial/20220510/large-forward-b...
• Ferret7446 2y ago
  It's quite the opposite isn't it? Drivers don't have to see pedestrians; they stop at red lights, and pedestrians cross when they get a walk signal.
  • Gigachad 2y ago
    Many intersections have turning lanes active at the same time as the walk signal is green.