Blind Spots on Semis Cause 1/3 of Accidents

25 Jun Blind Spots on Semis Cause 1/3 of Accidents

According to information from Road Safe America, a full one third of accidents involving semi-trucks occur in the blind spots around these vehicles. These are areas that other drivers can actually avoid. The blind spots on a truck are minimized with the use of very sophisticated mirrors and, as technology advances, there are other types of sensing devices that are being employed to allow drivers to get a better idea of what is alongside them. For the present, however, it’s imperative that drivers in passenger cars are aware of what a semi driver can see and cannot see so that they can avoid getting into a crash with one of these massive vehicles.

The Blind Spots

The blind spots on semi-trucks are similar to the blind spots on a regular vehicle. If you don’t have a blind-spot mirror installed on your vehicle – and you should have one – you can sit down in the driver’s seat and find out for yourself where these blind spots tend to occur. There is an area usually near the back seat and rear of the car that is not revealed when looking in the side mirrors or rearview mirrors and that is large enough for a vehicle to slip in undetected. This blind spot is where many sideswipe accidents occur.

On semi-trucks, you may have noticed the extremely large mirrors that the driver uses. These are designed to provide the driver with the maximum possible view around their vehicle. Even though they do have those mirrors, there are still blind spots. The easiest way to remember where a blind spot on a semi-truck is located is to remember that, if you cannot see the mirror that the driver is using to see alongside their vehicle, the driver cannot see you.

Whenever you find yourself in a semi-truck's blind spot, you should make every effort to get out of it as soon as possible. This is even true in slow traffic and, in some ways, it’s more important. In slower traffic, semis are more likely to be making a turn and, when they do, it’s very easy to get caught alongside one of these vehicles and have your car completely crushed, particularly when they are turning right.

If you were injured by a semi-truck driver who was negligent in their duties, a Texas truck wreck attorney may be able to help you by filing a lawsuit against the driver and their company.