4WDs tops for rear visibility
From The West Australian
By Steve Lague
October 25, 2005
Cameras can make
cars safer while reversing, but the car industry says audible front
parking and rear reversing sensors are better.
However, in a recent
test of reversing visibility, two four-wheel-drives finished in the
top five of the 222 vehicles tested.
Vehicles tested
included 4WDs, people movers, utilities and sport, luxury, large,
medium, medium-small and small sedans.
At the other end
of the scale, Australia's number one selling car, the Holden Commodores,
featured among the worst, along with the Holden Crewman. Only one
4WD featured in the bottom group.
SGIO operations
manager Bruce Kendall said the average blind spot behind the cars
tested was 14.7 square meters - plenty of room for a small child to
be hidden from view.
"Contrary
to popular belief, SGIO's research shows that 4WDs perform as well,
if not better, when it comes to reversing visiblity compared to popular
sedans," Mr Kendall said.
"Many 4WDs
actually outperformed some of Australia's top-selling medium and large
sedans. The
'Many 4WDs
actually outperformed some
of Australia's top-selling medium and large sedans'.
SGIO OPERATIONS MANAGER BRUCE KENDALL
Holden Commodores
sedan, for example, fared badly with no stars and a 27sqm blind area".
Reversing cameras
have been available as an option in some more expensive cars for a
couple of years.
This month Ford
launched its new Territory with a reverse camera as standard equipment
in the top-of-the-range Ghia and as a $1000 option in the mid-range
TS.
But industry experts
do not believe the camera alone will prevent accidents such as that
involving Andie Kearns.
Manufacturers
which provide cameras in their cars say the camera should be used
to survey the area behind the car before starting the manoeuvre. They
say the camera view is far too narrow and once reversing, the driver
should be looking either over the shoulder or in the side mirrors.
If a child runs behind the car once it is moving, the chances of the
driver seeing them in time on the screen are minimal.
Everyone spoken
to yesterday agreed that audible forward parking and rear reversing
sensors were a far more efficient warning mechanism.
The sensors pick
up objects two or three metres from the car and trigger an alarm.
The alarm gets louder as the vehicle moves closer to the object.
On some models
there is also a graphic illustration of the car showing which corner
of the car the object is closest to on a screen.
Research in Europe
and the US has shown that drivers react more quickly to an audible
alarm than a picture.
Most 4WDs sold
in Australia today come with reversing sensors as either standard
equipment or available as an option for between $500 and $1000.
