Truck Accidents and Blind Spots: Causes of Collisions - Arlington, TX
Each year in the United States, automobile accidents are a leading cause of personal injuries. While any collision can cause damages, few tend to be as devastating as those involving commercial trucks. These accidents often cause catastrophic injuries and steep financial losses.
Understanding what causes commercial truck accidents is a key tool in preventing them. Here, truck accident attorney Roger “Rocky” Walton, who serves the Arlington, TX, area, discusses one of the leading causes of truck accidents: blind spots. He also offers tips for minimizing the risk of collisions involving blind spots, also known as no zones.
Why Are Truck Blind Spots So Dangerous?
All vehicles have blind spots, or areas where other vehicles and objects cannot be seen when a driver checks the vehicle’s windows and mirrors. And while all blind spots pose a risk, the blind spots on commercial trucks are especially dangerous because they are so large.
Blind spots on commercial trucks are significantly larger than those on the typical passenger vehicle. Additionally, most passenger vehicles only have blind spots on the right and left-hand side of the automobile, but commercial trucks have blind spots in the front and back as well. Finally, truck blind spots are dangerous because most passenger vehicle drivers are unaware of where a truck’s “no zones” are so they inadvertently travel within the blind spots. A truck has blind spots between 20 and 30 feet directly in front of and behind the vehicle, as well as in the first one to two lanes of traffic on either side of the truck, from the door of the cab back to the end of the trailer.
How Do Blind Spot Truck Accidents Occur?
Traveling within a truck’s blind spots for an extended period is not advised, but the act itself is not enough to cause a truck accident. Most often, these crashes are caused by negligence on the part of the truck driver, the trucking company, or a parts manufacturer. Common causes of blind spot truck accidents include:
- The truck driver’s failure to adequately check blind spots
- Incorrect positioning of truck mirrors
- Insufficient driver training
- Lack of crash-preventing safety devices, or equipment malfunction
- Reckless lane changes
- Driving while distracted, fatigued, or under the influence
Minimizing the Risk of Blind Spot Truck Accidents
A truck driver needs to do their part to prevent accidents involving blind spots, but Arlington drivers can also take steps to minimize the risk of a blind spot crash. We recommend the following defensive measures to avoid a collision:
- Refrain from tailgating, or following a truck too closely
- Allow plenty of room when making a lane change in front of a commercial truck
- Avoid passing commercial trucks on the right
- Try not to linger in a truck’s blind spots for extended periods of time
Contact Our Law Firm
Commercial truck accidents can cause a wide range of physical, emotional, and financial losses. If you’ve been injured in a blind spot truck accident and believe that another party is at fault, attorney Roger “Rocky” Walton can assist you in pursuing compensation for damages. To discuss your case, send us a message online or call our Arlington law firm at (817) 429-4299.
