Large Semi Trucks Can Have Very Large Blind Spots

If you remember when you were learning to drive a car, you may remember being taught about your blind spots. In fact, much of the technology in our cars today, focuses on “seeing” things in your blind spot, and alerting you to when another vehicle is in that blind spot.

Well, if blind spots are a problem for your average everyday vehicle, they can be bigger problems for large, commercial trucks on our roadways. And the blind spots for these vehicles can be much bigger than those in our everyday vehicles.

Blind Spots in Front

Many of us who drive around or next to large trucks, aren’t aware when we are in a front blindspot, because many vehicles we drive don’t have these.

If you do happen to drive a larger pickup truck or SUV, you may have noticed that when an object is too close in front of you, it seems to “disappear,” and not be visible to the driver.

The same is true for large semi trucks; even if a car is in front of them in what seems like a safe distance, the vehicle may be invisible to the truck driver. This can be a problem when a car changes lanes into a lane where they are in front of the truck; the car essentially disappears, as it goes from the side, to the front blind spot of the truck.

The Back of the Truck

Because of the trailer on the back of semi trucks, a truck driver is totally reliant on mirrors to see what is behind them. But this too can create blind spots—a truck driver may be blind to as much as 200 feet behind the truck. Again, for cars that tail trucks too closely—you may be invisible to that driver.

The Sides of the Truck

Trucks are surprisingly blind to the lanes next to them—and that may not just be the adjacent lane.

In fact, on the passenger side of the vehicle, many truck drivers are unable to see not just the next adjacent lane, but the lane next to that one. That’s two lanes that the driver cannot pick up on or detect. The blind spot is a bit smaller on the driver’s side than the passenger side, where there is generally only one lane that cannot be seen by the driver.

Be Careful in Blind Spots

It is true that truck drivers are specially trained to handle these blind spots—it’s not as if you or I got behind the wheel of a large semi with no experience or training. Still, other drivers surrounding trucks, also have to be wary, and take precautions to avoid an accident.

Truckers involved in accidents can, and often do, blame the surrounding drivers for causing accidents, or for driving erratically or recklessly around trucks. Drivers should never assume that a truck driver can see them, and should take special care whenever changing lanes next to a truck, or when driving right next to a truck.

Trucking accident? Call our Tampa truck accident attorneys at Barbas, Nunez, Sanders, Butler & Hovsepian to schedule a consultation today.

Source:

truckingwatchdog.com/2017/01/25/why-these-4-blind-spots-in-trucks-are-still-a-huge-safety-problem