Why these 4 blind spots in trucks are still a huge safety problem. Stay out of blind spots when a truck or bus is turning, backing up or changing lanes. Blind spots for large trucks law offices of bryan musgrave. If you cant see the driver in his or her side mirror, the driver cant see you. Truck drivers who look in their mirrors will see cyclists, says hgv driver clive matthews. While they have many safety features like extra mirrors, dont forget they also have blind spots. Blind spot assist alerts the driver to dangers when turning corners 3 24 mercedesbenz has developed a radarbased system that alerts the truck driver of imminent collision danger. A comparison of best vs worst in class truck direct vision. Blind spot truck accidents scottsbluff trucking accident attorneys.
While they have many safety features like extra mirrors, dont forget they also have. Grand general 33080 chrome 8 convex blind spot mirror withl bracket. Now available on all 2020 ram 1500 models, blind spot monitoring with rear cross path and trailer detection scans the blind spot zones beside and behind the vehicle to help ensure trailer safety while maneuvering, while automatically sensing and accounting for the length of the trailer. A blind spot refers to an area where a driver loses sight of other vehicles. Blind spot monitoring uses a set of sensors mounted on the side mirrors or rear bumper to detect vehicles in the adjacent lanes. One common blind spot for a truck is located how many feet. You may also add additional mirrors to your truck to extend your visibility for the sides. Semi truck has become common usage for a class 7 or 8 truck driver pulling a trailer which is mounted by a fifth wheel, but can be applied to any truck. On the passenger side the blind spot is the area not covered by the passenger side mirror. If you are in a trucks blind spot, you are invisible to the driver. Pay attention to a trucks brake lights when following behind to avoid collision.
There are a lot more trucks driving on our roads in sydney. Staying in a trucks blind spot means that the truck driver cannot see you or your car, posing a huge. Mounting two mirrors on both the right and lefthand side of the hood will narrow the size of existing blind spots. In addition, trucks do not have rear windows that allow drivers to see directly behind them. Commercial truck drivers haul large trailers that can be over 40 feet long and sometimes even haul double trailers. The blind spot for truck drivers extends two to three lanes in width on the less visible passenger side. The larger the vehicle is, the larger the drivers blind spot is. If you have a driver traveling on your side, consider slowing down to let him or her pass. Jan 09, 2019 truck drivers who look in their mirrors will see cyclists, says hgv driver clive matthews.
Failing to check a commercial vehicles large blind spots is considered unreasonable behavior and a breach of the reasonable care duty. Checking blind spots is even more important and challenging for commercial truck drivers. Learn where the blind spots are, give trucks plenty of space, and pass promptly to keep you and the drivers around you safe. There is no rear view mirror on a truck therefore the driver cant see immediately behind the vehicle. A blind spot is an area around the vehicle that the driver cant see in the mirrors. Semi trucks have a large blind spot that can be hard to avoid for passing cars on either side of the vehicle. Signaling your intentions by using your turn signal helps. The product is designed to reduce blind spots and keep truck drivers safe on the road. Hsy 7777 1216 7601109 most car drivers dont realize that if the driver cant see the truck mirrors, the truck driver cannot see their vehicle. Truck blind spot accident lawyers chicago truck accident.
Mercedesbenz unveils blind spot assist technology for trucks. If the sensors detect something, theyll alert you via an audible. When behind a big truck stay far enough back so the truck driver knows youre there. A trucks blind spots are unusually large because the drivers sit up much higher than the drivers of cars, the vehicles are long, and the trailer portion of the rig blocks the truck drivers view. The passengerside blind spot is much larger than the leftside blind spot because of the position of the driver in the truck s cab. If you were hurt in a truck accident because a driver failed to check his or her blind spot, you may be entitled to seek damages for your medical. If you cannot see the truck driver s reflection in his or her side mirror, you are in the truck driver s blind spot and they cannot see you. Truck drivers can also reduce their blind spots by increasing the amount and position of mirrors on their tractors. Blind spots nashville, tennessee blind spot accident.
If you look only in your mirrors, you cannot see vehicles in these blind spots. Along with an audio response, a led warning light appears on the right side apillar, notifying the driver when a vehicle is within the blind spot radius. One common blind spot for a truck is located how many feet to. We offer a wide variety of semi truck parts and accessories from brand names that earned the respect of professional drivers and mechanics. The blind spots are where the driver cant see or would find it difficult to see. The truth about blind spot truck accidents steven m. Do not move in front of a large truck and suddenly slow down or stop.
Find the perfect deal for blind spot car and truck exterior mirrors with free shipping on many items at ebay. A blind spot mirror is a helpful gadget fitted on the side mirrors of a car to show the driver parts of the road that are hidden from their vision. Filing a lawsuit for truck accidents caused by blind spots. Every driver should know to check their blind spot before changing lanes on the highway or making turns. Finally, due to the height of the truck tractor, it can be easy for smaller cars to be hidden below. Stay out of blind spots when a truck or bus is turning, backing up or. In addition to standard seat belts and airbags, most new cars on the road today sport some kind of backup camera. The children from the age of 6 to 14 were allowed to sit in the cab of the truck, to see for themselves how little a truck driver can see in the blind spot.
The truck driver will not be able to stop quickly enough to avoid crashing into you. But when correctly positioned, the mirrors negate a cars blind spots. Finally, the victims injuries must have been caused by the drivers actions. Diagram showing commercial truck drivers blind spots.
The nozones of a truck are the areas to the front, sides, and rear that cannot be seen by the driver. Truck driver and trucking company liability for blind spot accidents truck drivers are required to exercise reasonable care to avoid any foreseeable risks of harm to other people. Staying in a truck s blind spot means that the truck driver. One of the many essential rules you learn before getting your drivers license is that you. California driver handbook special driving situations. If all else fails, honk the horn to alert the driver behind the wheel. Get great deals on semi truck blind spot detection at truckid. Since truck drivers cannot see much to their sides, it creates a dangerous situation for lane changes. Passenger vehicle drivers incorrectly assume that a trucker can.
Large blind spots federal motor carrier safety administration. Blind spot mirror for car and truck, square fan shape 1 pair good helper to solve the problem of blind spot especially for big truck and trailer. The term nozone refers to the large blind spots found on large tractortrailer trucks, which make it difficult for truck drivers to see other passenger vehicles driving. Blind spot car and truck exterior mirrors for sale ebay. The children were very enthusiastic and found it especially nice to be able to sit in the driver s seat. A blind spot in a vehicle is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver while at the controls, under existing circumstances. Construction equipment is typically large and has an enclosed cap. All vehicles have blind spots, but the blind spots on big trucks are especially large.
Shop from top brands such as ford, toyota, chevrolet. Trucks have large rearview mirrors that enable them to see without looking out a window. Large vehicles need longer following distance to see vehicles behind them. Take extra care in passing and being passed by large trucks and buses. A blind spot is any area around a car or truck that the driver cant see directly while theyre at the wheel. Many serious truck accidents happen simply because the truck driver was unaware that another motorist was in the way. Two folding side mirrors helps reduce the blind spots in the left and right lanes. Nov 20, 2017 to help you manage your blind spots, consider attaching extra warning signs to your truck to highlight where a blind spot is. Though many assume truck drivers have a better view of the road because they are higher off the ground and have larger mirrors, trucks actually have bigger blind spots.
How to set up mirrors to reduce blind spots as a commercial driver. A commercial motor vehicle has large blind spots around all four sides. All vehicles have them, but semitrucks have 4 big blind spots. Turning on truck blind spots our campaigns bicycle network. In blind spot accidents, this can be done by showing that the driver did not check the trucks blind spot before changing lanes. If you are the victim of a collision that occurs in a semi trucks blind spot, contact the law offices of bryan musgrave for assistance as you seek to recover compensation. The blind spot on the right side of the truck can extend three lanes and runs the length of the big rig.
Truck drivers are required to acquire a commercial drivers license cdl that mandates special training as well as competency test completion in order to operate large vehicles safely. For example, blind spot accident statistics noted by consumer reports reveal that while the averageheight driver of a passenger car may have a rear blind spot of about 12 feet, a pickup truck driver will face a rear blind spot distance of about 24 feet. Other types of transport have no blind spots at all, such as bicycles, horses, and motorcycles. Turn your head to see if a vehicle is in one of these blind spots. Large vehicles need longer following distance to see vehicles behind. Eeekit 2pcs universal auto wide angle convex rear side view blind spot mirror for car. This means that they must be especially careful when they slow down, change lanes or turn. If you think your cars blind spots are troublesome, youd feel bad for a truck driver. World dangerous idiots heavy equipment truck skills driving, extreme fast operator road truck fails duration. When changing lanes, you risk hitting someone in your blind spot. Reaction time can be the difference between life and. Blind spot collisions can result in serious damage and devastating injury.
This can be disorienting for drivers used to seeing the flanks of their own car in the side mirrors. Driving blind spot where the blue shaded area is blind if the red car driver wants to change over to the left lane where the yellow car is, he will first need to look into his interior mirror, followed by the left door mirror and then briefly look over his left shoulder to check the left blind spot before changing lanes. Driving in a semis blind spot is extremely dangerous and there is an easy tip to know if you are in a blind spot. When you are driving behind a truck and you cant see the truck driver s mirrors, you are in his blind spot. Trucks do not have cyclistobscuring blind spots, shows truck. And because of his small blind spot mirrors convex features, also good for daily city car. Truckers blind spots the no zone shaded areas are the driver s blind spots. A blind spot monitoring system does just this by consistently viewing the spots you cant always track while driving. Large blind spots on commercial trucks are a known safety issue that automakers have attempted to address through technology even as truck driving orlando clermont 407 2876757.
Blind spot directly behind the driver and the storage area of the truck truckers must also engage in some safety behaviors to minimize the risks posed by these blind spots. If you cannot see the truck drivers reflection in his or her side mirror, you are in the truck drivers blind spot and they cannot see you. All of these factors result in substantial blind spots for truck drivers. Staying in a truck s blind spot means that the truck driver cannot see you or your car, posing a huge safety risk and potentially leading to a serious accident. Truck drivers should be aware of blind spots because they can be held liable in truck blind spot accidents.
Work zone traffic safety blind spot safety oshacademy. If you stay in those blind spots, you block the truckers ability to take evasive action to avoid a dangerous situation. However, this does not meant that accidents caused by big commercial vehicles arent preventable. As an addition to the volvo active driver assist system, the volvo right side blind spot helps drivers detect potential dangers and avoid them. They are the most dangerous places to drive or ride in. It is important to pay attention when a truck is backing up. A blind spot is an area of the road outside the drivers field of vision that cannot be seen in the. Truck drivers should be aware of blind spots stewart j. Mar 29, 2019 staying in a trucks blind spot means that the truck driver cannot see you or your car, posing a huge safety risk and potentially leading to a serious accident. For example, truckers must use all possible mirrors located on the truck to locate blind spots or see cars on the road. A driver injured in a truck s blind spot may be catastrophically injured.
A blind spot or blind area is the area around a vehicle or a piece of construction equipment that is not visible to the operator, either by direct lineofsight or indirectly by use of internal and external mirrors. Oct 05, 2018 it is important for truck drivers and other motorists to understand blind spots for large trucks so that their risks might be mitigated. School lds shows that despite the multiple mirrors there remain blind spots where the driver is unable to see pedestrians or cyclists. These exist in a wide range of vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and trucks. California driver handbook sharing the road california dmv. However, a large truck traveling at the same speed can take almost 800 feet to stop.