Large commercial trucks like 18-wheelers are critical to the supply chain, bringing goods and services into and out of South Carolina. Unfortunately, they also loom over smaller vehicles, outsizing them substantially and outweighing them by as much as 76,000 pounds. Motorists in smaller vehicles are vulnerable to severe or catastrophic injuries in accidents. To make matters worse, trucks not only require longer stopping distances and make wide turns, but they also have extended blind spots. Blind spots are among the most common causes of truck accidents in Colombia and elsewhere.
Where are the Blind Spots In a Semi Truck?
Semi-tractor-trailer trucks do not have interior rearview mirrors because the mirror would only reflect the trailer’s front wall. Instead, trucks have large side mirrors. These mirrors are far from adequate because the large size and extended length of commercial trucks leave extended blind spots. A truck’s blind spots are located as follows:
- Up to about 30 feet behind the truck
- The space extending about 20 feet directly in front of the truck
- Across one lane on the driver’s side, and as far as halfway down the length of the trailer
- The space extending across two lanes on the right and as much as 15 feet behind the trailer
It’s best to avoid lingering in any of a truck’s blind spots, but especially the extended blind spot on the right. Passing a truck on its right is one of the most dangerous actions on a multilane highway and a common cause of blind spot collisions in Columbia and elsewhere.
Causes of Blind Spot Truck Wrecks
Although some trucks now come with cameras to provide visual aids for blind spots, not all trucks on the road have these devices, use them consistently, or keep them in working order. An alert, vigilant truck driver must keep the position of all vehicles in their vicinity in mind as they navigate multiple lanes of traffic on high-speed highways and when driving through communities and along rural routes. Common causes of truck blind spot accidents in Columbia and elsewhere include the following:
- Unsafe lane changes
- Improper merging
- A motorist follows behind a truck too closely and rides in the truck’s blind spot
- A motorist changes lanes in front of a truck too closely, entering the blind spot directly in front of the truck’s cab
- A distracted truck driver fails to check mirrors and cameras to ensure that their blind spots are clear
- Fatigued driving
- Impaired driving
Blind spot accidents are often catastrophic. Drivers should avoid a truck’s blind spots, but blind spot accidents are preventable when a truck driver takes the necessary reasonable precautions.
Types of Blind Spot Accidents In Columbia
Many blind spot accidents begin as sideswipes and rear-end collisions. Because large commercial trucks are poorly balanced due to their extended heights and heavy loads, a sideswipe collision or rear-end accident can escalate into crashes such as truck override accidents, underride accidents, jackknife accidents, and rollovers. Roadway departures are also a common type of blind spot truck accident. This happens when a truck begins to change lanes into the path of a car traveling parallel to the truck in a blind spot, causing the smaller vehicle’s driver to run off the road to avoid a collision.
How Can a Georgia Truck Accident Lawyer Help?
Proving liability and obtaining compensation for damages in a truck accident claim is seldom easy. A successful claim after a truck blind spot accident requires showing substantial evidence of the driver’s negligence and liability. Additional liable parties could be the trucking company for hiring an inexperienced driver, or the manufacturer of defective blind spot monitoring systems. Call Marc Brown Law Firm for experienced Columbia accident representation to protect your best interests throughout your claim.