Thanks to irresponsible and inattentive motorists, driving will always be inherently dangerous; however, learning about common driving practices can mitigate potential threats to your health. A vehicle’s blind spots are one of the threats drivers should know before getting behind the wheel. While acknowledging your own blind spots is helpful, it’s also important to identify other driver’s blind spots: especially if they drive a commercial truck.
Blind Spots on Commercial Trucks Are Unfixable
Drivers can and must deal with their blind spots while on the road. When motorists look over their shoulder before making a lane change, they are ensuring a safe maneuver by actively mitigating their blind spots. Therefore, passenger vehicle blind spots can be dealt with. However, truckers do not have this luxury.
Unlike passenger vehicle motorists, drivers of tractor-trailers and commercial trucks suffer from unfixable blind spots. Truckers cannot mitigate their blind spots by looking over their shoulders because their trailer sits directly behind their cab. Therefore, when truckers look out the back of their cab, they see the trailer rather than other drivers. This scenario causes unfixable blind spots for all truckers, which means you should identify where these blind spots sit.
Blind Spots on Commercial Trucks
All of the following blind spots are identified from a “flow of traffic” perspective. This means the blind spots only apply to vehicles that are traveling in the same direction as the truck.
A truck’s blind spots are:
- Along the sides of the truck near the back of the cab (if you can’t see the trucker in their rearview mirror, they likely can’t see you.)
- Directly in front of the truck (the hood of the cab may block low seated cars from view.)
- Directly behind the truck (the truck’s trailer makes it impossible to see a car directly behind the truck.)
If you find yourself in one of these positions, it’s crucial you slow down or speed up to move out of a trucker’s potential blind spot. Refuse to coast in a trucker’s blind spots, as you put yourself and the trucker in danger.
Fighting for Just Compensation After Truck Accident Injuries
While identifying a trucker’s blind spots is helpful in staying safe, it cannot adequately protect you from potential accidents. If you or a loved one are injured in a truck accident, our firm can help!
Call (314) 241-2929 now for a free consultation for your case!
