John Horner <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:wemWf.6595$Od7.4843@trnddc06:


>
> This is a real pet peeve of mine, more and more modern vehicles are
> reducing visibility in favor of "style". This is a real safety issue.
> I wonder how many additional small children are going to get run over
> because drivers didn't see them in their stylish vehicles.



If you're referring to the fat A-pillar, that has nothing to do with style
and everything to do with side-intrusion crash legislation.

The NHTSA's crash tests require a certain minimum intrusion into the
passenger compartment in their standardized side-impact tests, and this can
usually only be achieved by making the A-pillars really fat and strong.
Even the automakers don't like it because of the visibilty issues, but they
have little choice.

For extreme examples, check out most late-model minivans. To minimize
visibility loss, automakers are forced to make the A-pillars triangular in
section, with the point of the triangle pointing at the driver. Some
pillars are 5" thick from outside painted surface to the inner point.

Your tax dollars at work.


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/