How can a truck’s blind spots affect other drivers?

Dealing with a commercial truck near you swerving or acting recklessly can make you stressed. This includes when you must deal with injuries and other problems after a crash.

Part of this problem can happen when a trucker does not look in their blind spots.

Ignoring part of the view

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, about 81% of injury crashes involving a truck involved the truck hitting another vehicle. All commercial trucks have blind spots that prevent the drivers from seeing certain parts of the road. These areas are usually directly behind the truck and both sides of it as well.

When truckers decide to make decisions around other vehicles that are hasty or impulsive, they may not check their mirrors to make sure no one else is around.

Confusing other drivers

Truckers who do not signal before turning can leave vehicles at risk for a crash due to the way a truck must pull ahead to turn. This gap between the car and the direction the truck is turning is deceiving if the person in the car thinks the truck is only going straight. Drivers may not realize they need to give trucks room if the truckers do not check their blind spots and alert them by signaling.

Making passes dangerous

Truckers that try to pass without looking in their mirrors to check their blind spots may run into a vehicle and cause significant damage to them. Cars and motorcycles are smaller than trucks, which means that they could suffer more from an impact on the road.

These kinds of errors that truckers make regarding their blind spots can result in a serious collision.