You can’t avoid sharing the road with semi-trucks, but it is important to be aware of the danger. Due to their height and weight, it is often the other vehicles that take the majority of the damage in a collision and those occupants that suffer serious injuries.
One step you can take to reduce the risk for yourself is to understand the no-zones around a truck. These are places where you should not drive—or where you should try to spend as little time as possible.
Directly in front and behind
To start with, the semi-truck driver likely can’t see your vehicle if you are directly in front of the semi or directly behind it. Even tall pickup trucks have this issue, where drivers can’t see pedestrians or cyclists. But a semi is so high that the driver may not even be able to see a passenger car that is directly ahead of them.
The rear corners
If you’re on the side of a truck, you’re visible when you’re in front of the cab and for a portion of the truck’s length, where you can be seen in the side view mirrors. But there are blind spots near the cab and along the sides, where the mirrors don’t reach. This sometimes leads to an accident when a driver sits in this blind spot for an extended period of time, the truck driver thinks that the road is clear, and then they merge into another lane—directly into the vehicle that is occupying that lane.
Understanding blind spots can help you avoid some accidents, but you could still be hit and injured in a crash with a negligent truck driver. If so, take the time to carefully consider your legal options to seek compensation.
