Spot and Avoid Truck Blind Spots: How can one avoid being in the blind spots of large trucks?
The statistics surrounding catastrophic truck accidents are harrowing. In 2021, 9% of fatal crashes involved large trucks per the National Security Council. And although only a miniscule portion of truck accidents result in catastrophic injury (but with most of them resulting in property damages according to Forbes Magazine), it would be wrong to undermine the seriousness of truck accidents.
One false move could quite literally lead to their imminent deaths and fatal injuries. Trucks, with their size and weight, are the subject of many drivers’ fear. Because trucks have huge blind spots, it’s not uncommon for a lot of drivers on the road to get sideswiped.
While truck drivers need to do their due diligence of driving safely and making sure that everyone around them is safe, drivers of passenger vehicles also have a responsibility to make sure that they are not hovering around their blind spots.
In this blog, we will tackle how to best avoid truck blind spots to reduce the possibility of incurring a life-altering injury. Here are some of them:
1. Go drive at the utmost left lane
Truck drivers are usually cautioned against driving in the left lane when on the freeway. Responsible truck drivers follow the speed limit due to the load of their cargos and to avoid the risk of getting into jackknife accidents.
So when you’re driving alongside them, make sure that you’re staying out of their way by driving at the utmost left lane. Doing so will reduce the likelihood of getting into a truck accident because you will for sure not be driving in their blind spots. With that being said, it’s almost important to note that there will be instances where truck drivers will be at the utmost left lane.
This usually happens when it’s late at night and there are few to no cars on the road, or if they’re staying at the utmost left lane to travel to the next freeway. During these instances, you need to heed the next advice.
2. Stay Visible
The whole point of spotting trucks’ blind spots are two-fold: to remain visible to truck drivers and to avoid accidents. So in the spirit of driving within the blind spots on a truck, you as a driver must endeavor to stay as visible as you can. One way to do that is by making sure that you are driving a considerable distance from them.
There are many ways you can make you and your car visible to truck drivers. For when you switch lanes in a truck’s lane, for example, make sure you are using your turn signals. Make sure that you are also leaving ample distance between you and the truck when doing so.
3. Recognize the truck’s blind spots (No Zone)
To avoid being sideswiped or rear-ended by a large truck, you will need to recognize a truck’s “no zones” — better known by your run-of-the-mill driver as “blind spots.” From the truck driver’s point of view, they have four blind spots:
- Front
- Back
- Left
- Right
It’s important to note that in order to avoid being in a truck’s blind spot, you have to remember that large vehicles have smaller blind spots than passenger vehicles. Therefore, you need to leave a considerable amount of distance between you and the truck.
We already discussed what you must do when driving in front of the truck (See #2). But if you’re driving from the back of the truck, make sure that you are driving far enough from the truck where you can see their side mirrors.
4. Avoid driving alongside trucks altogether
The most sure fire way to avoid being in a truck’s blind spot is to avoid driving alongside them altogether. There is a valid reason why people actively avoid driving side by side with trucks. Aside from its huge size and heavy weight, truck drivers are prone to drowsy driving due to the long hours they have to be on the road.
5. Use turn signals
Lastly, you need to communicate adequately when driving alongside trucks. Again, the whole point of avoiding their blind spots is to maintain visibility. Having a working and flashing turn signal will command the attention of truck drivers and allow them to drive accordingly to avoid any collisions.
Call Omega Law Group
A trucks blind spots are hot spots for truck accidents. With over half a million large truck accidents reported to have occurred across the United States in 2021 alone, it’s in everyone’s best interest to do whatever is necessary to drive as safely as they can. But there is still a chance that they could get into a fatal truck accident no matter how earnest one may be in avoiding blind spots.
In this case, you will, without a doubt, need a truck accident expert to help you navigate the complex legal battle you will need to undergo to get the justice and compensation that you deserve.
Call Omega Law Group.
The legal team at Omega Law Group are highly equipped professionals who will not only fight relentlessly on behalf of their clients, they are also genuinely committed to ensuring that the unique needs of their clients are met. At Omega, they understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution in solving the clients’ problems. Which is why they personalize their services to make sure that they are meeting them in the middle.
With over millions of dollars accrued in settlement and compensation since the firm’s establishment in 2016, it is clear that the legal team at Omega is best fit to negotiate and —if need be — litigate complex cases involving fatal truck crashes. In fact, their legal team has garnered accolades and recognition for the work that they have done thus far in the field of personal injury.
They’ve been featured in the Los Angeles Times as well as the Los Angeles Business Journal. Notably, the latter publication ran a headlining story on Omega’s innovative integration of A.I. technology in streamlining the firm’s case processes. Adding onto the accolades they’ve received from industry-vetted organizations like Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers, the legal team at Omega Law Group is quickly rising in the ranks of their contemporaries.
True to their mission of providing equitable and quality legal service, they insist on operating on a contingency fee basis so as to not burden clients with any upfront costs. Schedule a free consultation now to learn more.