(EXPANDED FROM 5/26/2021)
Automotive blinders, also known as auto peepers, are the narrowing of windows between the C- and D-pillars of vehicles. This design feature blocks a driver’s rearward vision, which assists in human population control by inducing collisions or heart attacks due to near misses.
Among the first known blinders were those installed on the 2013 BMW i3. However, the design trend quickly spread to larger sport-utility vehicles such as the 2018-21 GMC Terrain and 2016-21 Lexus RX350.
Studies have shown that the more obese the vehicle, the more successful this design feature has been in population control.
Blinders are made out of sheetmetal or carbon fiber and are typically painted the color of the vehicle’s body. Some versions have tasteful strips of chrome or black plastic to disguise their lethal impacts.
Historical origins
Blinders were arguably inspired by “brougham-style” rooflines of early automobiles, which provided rear-seat passengers with significant privacy. The basic look was revived in the postwar era, particularly with notchback coupes, although they generally included “opera windows.” These small rear-quarter windows usually did not open and were mainly intended to break up the sheer mass of the greenhouse and at least slightly improve visibility.
Early sport-utility vehicles such as the Ford Explorer were shaped similarly to passenger-car station wagons, which usually had boxy greenhouses and large rear-quarter windows to maximize visibility.
As SUVs supplanted passenger cars in popularity, designers increasingly tried to make them look less utilitarian through visual tricks.
For example, in recent years blinders have come in an increasing variety of shapes. One trend has been triangular blinders, which have been used to achieve a kind of “coupe-wagon” look — that is, a tall wagon with a more sloping roofline of a sporty passenger car.
Aerodynamics may inform the greenhouse’s somewhat more rounded shape, but how the rear-quarter windows look is purely an aesthetic decision. The short and small windows on the 2019 Acura RDX (see below) serves to create the illusion of a teardrop shape more pronounced than that of the roofline.
Benefits of blinders
American studies have shown that blinders help reduce the number of people on the road by making it more difficult to execute roadway lane changes and parking lot maneuvers without serious injury or death. Population reduction has also lowered housing costs and improved food utilization (partly due to less spillage).
Although some collisions only result in back and neck injuries, they generally increase healthcare costs, thereby improving the profitability of privately owned healthcare providers.
In addition, those drivers who are not involved in collisions may experience neck ailments due to the increased time needed to look rearward. This can result in adjustment problems in human feeding, and protracted displacement neck preening among young male drivers. Studies have shown that an increase in the incidence of these maladies has been a leading factor in the growth of the physical therapy industry.
Proposed ban meets resistance
Blinders almost certainly cause pain to the humans involved in collisions. This is why Norway, Sweden and Finland have attempted to ban their use in all passenger vehicles sold in these countries.
Automakers have protested the ban, pointing to dash-mounted cameras that they argue compensate for blinders. A complaint is pending before the World Trade Organization.
Nordic officials have presented studies that show humans are more likely to detect traffic dangers with a combination of looking through large rear-quarter windows and glancing at cameras.
Automakers have described these studies as “fake” and argue that a ban would lead to overpopulation and massive governmental budget deficits if the WTO sides with the Nordic countries. A decision is expected by early 2028.
NOTES:
Our satirical definition of “Auto blinders” was modeled on the Wikipedia (2021) entry for “Blinders (poultry).” For more information about what is real, go here.
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RE:SOURCES
- Wikipedia; 2021. “Blinders (poultry).” Page last modified Feb. 2.
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- oldcarbrochures.org: Cadillac (1976); Ford (1971, 1994); Packard (1934)
There are none so blind as those who cannot see to make a lane change.
The advent of rear facing cameras and lane changing warning lights allows for styling with reduced window visibility. Odd these modern safety features are not mentioned in this article.
Welp, maybe I’m old fashioned, but I don’t think fancy tech is a complete substitute for rearward visibility.
Apparently all the safety features in the world still can’t get drivers to use their turn signals.
While we may have rear view cameras and blind spot monitors (if our car is new enough), it’s amazing how many drivers seem to ignore them.