Posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2018 at 12:47 am
Commercial trucks are involved in thousands of truck accidents each year. In 2015, roughly 116,000 people were injured, and 4,067 people were killed in large truck accidents. These numbers represented a four percent increase from the previous year. Over three-fourths of those deaths and injuries sustained in a truck accident were sustained by people who were not in the truck at the time of the crash.
Because of the size of a large truck, drivers and occupants of other vehicles are at an elevated risk of death or severe injury in a truck crash. Unfortunately, we must share the road with these large vehicles because commercial trucks are an efficient and effective way to transport goods across the country.
Therefore, we must learn to share the road with big rigs in the safest way possible. One thing we can do is learn about the blind spots on a large truck.
Most Truck Drivers Do Their Best to Avoid Crashes
A truck driver has limited vision in many areas around the truck. Therefore, the driver may not see you if you drive in one of the truck’s blind spots. Knowing how to avoid these blind spots can help you decrease your risk of being involved in a truck accident.
Five very important things to remember about a truck’s blind spots are:
- Merging in Front of a Truck
When you are merging in front of a truck, make sure that you can see the driver, the entire front of the truck and the truck’s headlights before merging into the lane in front of the truck. The hood on most trucks is very large. Therefore, the driver may not be able to see you over the hood of the truck. The more room you can put between you and the truck before merging, the better. Do not forget to use your turn signals too.
- Avoid Tailgating.
The back of the truck is one of the vehicle’s blind spots. If you are close to the back of the truck, the truck driver cannot see you in his side mirrors. When following a truck, you need to remember that if you cannot see the truck driver in the truck’s sideview mirror, the driver of the truck is unable to see your vehicle. To be safe, allow at least 25 car lengths between you and the truck. In adverse weather conditions, double that distance.
- Avoid Right Side of Truck.
When a truck is turning, you need to avoid the right side of the vehicle. Tractor-trailers make extremely wide right turns. In some cases, they take up two lanes when turning. Never try to “beat” a truck or drive on the right side of a truck when the driver indicates he is about to make a turn.
- Be Careful When Passing.
When you are passing a commercial vehicle, you need to signal your intention early and make sure you have enough room to pass the truck very quickly. You want to avoid driving in the truck’s blind spots as much as possible.
- A Truck Driver Can Be Liable.
If a truck driver does not pay attention to his blind spots or drives in a reckless manner, the driver can be held liable for damages caused by a collision. If you are injured in a truck accident, you might be entitled to recover compensation from one or more parties.
Call a Milpitas Truck Accidents Attorney
If you are in a truck accident in Milpitas, contact Tiemann Law Firm by calling (916) 999-9000 or by visiting our website to schedule your free consultation and case review with a Milpitas truck accidents lawyer.
