Autos in the present day are far bigger than they have been earlier than the flip of the century. They’re heavier, too, with tons of engineering designed to guard the driving force. However that has come at a price. Greater autos imply larger blind spots, and a brand new examine reveals simply how a lot much less of the highway we see in the present day in comparison with 25 years in the past.

A brand new examine, highlighted by the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security, discovered that ahead visibility inside a 10-meter radius fell by as a lot as 58 % on three SUVs it examined. The researchers measured the modifications in automobile blind spots from 1997 to 2023, analyzing every technology of the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford F-150, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Toyota Camry.

The Honda CR-V noticed a major decline in visibility over 25 years. In 1997, drivers might see 68 % of the realm 10 meters in entrance of the automobile. Drivers of the 2022 mannequin can now solely see 28 % of that. The Suburban additionally skilled a big decline, with visibility dropping from 56 % in 2000, the mannequin’s first 12 months in manufacturing, to simply 28 % in 2023. 

The Accord and Camry fared a lot better. Visibility on the Honda declined simply 5.0 % in 1 / 4 century, from 65 to 60. The Camry has barely misplaced any of its ahead visibility through the years, with 57 % of the 10-meter space seen to drivers in the present day in comparison with 61 % in 2007. Based on the IIHS, each of these figures are inside the margin of error.

The F-150 additionally noticed a lower, however it’s not as large as you’d assume. Visibility fell from an abysmally low 43 % in 1997 to 36 % in 2015. The IIHS attributed the drop in ahead visibility on the CR-V and Suburban to greater hoods and bigger mirrors, which might obscure youngsters, pedestrians, and cyclists.

The deaths of individuals exterior the automobile have solely elevated. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in america rose 37 and 42 %, respectively, between 1997 and 2023, in response to the security institute. In 2022, autos killed 7,508 pedestrians, and the larger, boxier autos we drive current a fair higher threat to individuals than the smaller sedans individuals now not buy.

The examine was carried out by researchers from the US Division of Transportation and revealed within the March 2025 version of the SAE Worldwide Journal of Transportation Security. Motor1 has reached out for a duplicate of the examine, which utilized a brand new method from the IIHS to measure blind zones higher.