Rear window: how well can you see out of your car when reversing?(DRIVELINES: Rear visibility)

Publication: Choice (Chippendale, Australia)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Australian Consumers' Association

Following a number of fatal accidents caused by cars reversing in driveways, NRMA Insurance has developed a reversing visibility index that rates the blind spot area behind a car where the driver can t see a small child.

The assessment uses:

* A laser pointing device.

* A dummy representing an adult driver of average size.

* A test cylinder representing the shoulder height of an average two-year old.

* A grid measuring 1.8 x 15 metres at the rear of the car.

The laser is directed through the car's rear window, and the positions where the laser beam is visible on the test cylinder (and therefore the cylinder would be visible to the driver) are noted. An overall star rating is given based on:

* The shortest distance from the rear of the car at which the cylinder is visible across the width of the car.

* The total blind spot area.

* The effectiveness of a reversing aid (such as a sensor or camera), if the car is fitted with one. In general, reversing sensors improve a car's rating by half a star. A camera is likely to result in a very high star rating.

The lower the star rating, the less likely a driver is to see an object of child height when looking out of the rear window--Figure 1 (page 25) shows the difference between a car with half a star and one with four stars.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

MAIN FINDINGS

* A high rear window line, rear head restraints and high-mounted spare tyre on some 4WDs can severely reduce the visibility out of the back of the car.

* However, contrary to popular belief, 4WDs don't all offer worse rear visibility than sedans. There are good and bad examples in each category, with models in five of the nine categories scoring zero stars.

* A reversing camera can eliminate reversing blind spots entirely--the LEXUS GS430 with such a camera is the only model that scored the maximum five stars. And an optional camera installed in the MITSUBISHI Pajero improved the car's rating from only half a star to 4.5 stars.

Notes to the table, right

1 Shortest distance to view test object

Shown in the table is the shortest distance from the back of the car at any one point at which the...

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