Using a new visual mapping technique, researchers found that several high-volume models—including three popular SUVs—now feature dramatically larger blind zones in front of the vehicle compared to their late-1990s predecessors. The findings come at a time when pedestrian and cyclist fatalities have risen sharply, raising questions about how vehicle design may be contributing to road deaths.
The study, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center, is the first to utilize IIHS’s breakthrough visibility mapping system, which uses a camera rig and computational software to replicate a driver’s field of vision.
Mounted inside the vehicle, the system rotates to capture a 360-degree image from the driver’s point of view, taking into account varying driver heights. That image is then rendered into an overhead map that reveals the portions of the surrounding ground that are directly visible to the driver—providing a clear, quantifiable look at blind zones created by the hood, side mirrors, and A-pillars. Unlike older techniques involving traffic cones, engineering drawings, or laser tools, the new method is portable, efficient, and highly adaptable for use across vehicle types and testing environments.
In examining 17 models across six top-selling nameplates—spanning Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Jeep, and Toyota—researchers discovered a consistent decline in forward visibility within a 10-meter radius, the average stopping distance at 10 mph.
For instance, visibility in the Honda CR-V plummeted from 68 percent in 1997 to just 28 percent in 2022, largely due to the vehicle’s higher hood and bulkier side mirrors.
Similarly, the 2000 Chevrolet Suburban offered 56 percent visibility in front of the vehicle, while the 2023 model allowed for just 28 percent.
The Ford F-150, already impaired by limited visibility in the late 1990s, dropped further, from 43 percent in 1997 to 36 percent by 2015.
In contrast, sedans like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry experienced smaller declines, with forward visibility dipping only marginally—within five to eight percentage points—over two decades.
“These across-the-board reductions in driver visibility are a cause for serious concern,” said David Harkey, president of IIHS. “We already know that vehicle height and front-end shape are risk factors for pedestrian fatalities. This research suggests that declining visibility, particularly in larger vehicles, could be compounding that threat.”
The implications are far-reaching. Between 1997 and 2023, pedestrian fatalities in the United States rose 37 percent and cyclist deaths climbed 42 percent. While many factors—urban growth, road design, and increased speeds—have been cited, researchers say this study introduces another critical consideration: drivers simply can’t see as much of what’s in front of them.
Notably, SUVs now comprise a larger share of the U.S. vehicle fleet, a shift that aligns with the period in which visibility has declined the most. Vehicles with taller front ends and more upright grilles have already been shown to cause more severe injuries in collisions with pedestrians. Add in an expanding forward blind zone, and the danger to those outside the vehicle becomes even more acute.
IIHS engineers and researchers at the affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute are now working to expand the scope of the study, applying the new mapping technique to a database of 150 vehicle models. The goal: to determine whether these visibility reductions are widespread and, if so, how they correlate with crash risk and insurance losses. Researchers are also exploring how visibility maps could inform consumer ratings or design regulations.
“This technology allows us to gather consistent, actionable data on how vehicle designs are changing the way drivers see—or don’t see—the world around them,” said Becky Mueller, IIHS senior research engineer and co-developer of the new method. “If we confirm that visibility is shrinking across the SUV segment, it would strongly suggest that automotive design has played a role in making roads more dangerous for vulnerable road users.”
The next phase of analysis, Mueller added, will look not only at blind zones but how they influence driver behavior in everyday settings like driveways, intersections, and crosswalks—places where pedestrians are most frequently struck. With more cities pushing for safer streets and automakers touting advanced driver assistance systems, visibility may soon take center stage in the broader conversation about vehicle safety—and this time, it won’t be about what’s inside the cabin, but what the driver can see outside it.