Some truck accidents are due to negligence or aggressive driving practices. Others are the result of design errors built into nearly every commercial truck and a big rig.
Most people won’t realize when they’re in a truck’s blind spot and or that the truck has their signal on and is merging into their lane, whether they’re ready or not. Yet these tragic accidents can be avoided when we all understand a truck’s no-zone.
What is The No-Zone?
Trucks have very large blind spots. To be clear, these are not parts of the truck’s surrounding with low visibility; these are areas around the truck that have zero visibility. When someone is in a truck’s no-zone, the truck driver cannot see them at all, no matter how hard they try.
Some commercial trucks include a sign that reads, “If I can’t see you, you can’t see me.” This simply means that if you can’t see the truck’s side-view mirrors, they don’t know where you are. However, that sign paints an incomplete picture of a truck’s no-zone.
Where is the No-Zone?
While it varies slightly on the model of truck and the number of extra side-mirrors, the no-zone usually encompasses a specific space around the truck. Because of a semi-truck’s height and the length of its engine, most truck drivers can’t see the first 20ft in front of their vehicle. Likewise, commercial trucks do not have rear-view mirrors, meaning they can’t see 30ft behind them.
It gets especially tricky on the sides of the vehicle. Just because you can see a truck’s mirrors, does not mean they can see you. Commercial trucks cannot see what is directly to their right or left. The right (the passenger’s side) is especially dangerous because the curvature of the mirror extends the no-zone at a slant across two lanes. That’s partially why trucks rarely leave the right-most lane.
How You Can Respect the No-Zone
Next time you find yourself behind a commercial truck, take a moment to identify the no-zone. Try to understand when the driver can see you and when you enter their blind spots. When more drivers understand and respect the limitations of big trucks, they can offer them a bit more leeway and reduce the likelihood of serious accidents.
If you or someone you love suffered serious injuries or even wrongful death in a commercial trucking accident, we can fight for you. If you’d like an experienced Starkville injury attorney from Vollor Law Firm, P.A. Law Firm to evaluate your claim, please send us an email or call (662) 269-6188.