How Common Are Blind Spot Truck Accidents?

They are pretty common. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates more than 500,000 blind spot accidents per year, resulting in an average of 188,000 injuries and more than 500 fatalities. The US Department of Transportation cites nearly half a million truck blind spot accidents a year, resulting in hundreds of fatalities.

What Is a Blind Spot Accident?

The blind spot or “No Zone” is the area where truck drivers of large commercial trucks cannot see what is happening with their eyes or their mirrors. Usually, a vehicle directly or nearly beside the driver will be in a blind spot. Blinds spots can also result from the placement of the truck’s mirrors and the metal structure around the doors and windows. Blindspot accidents occur most frequently when another vehicle is changing lanes, and the truck driver cannot see the vehicle coming toward it.

Ways to Prevent Blind Spot Accidents

There are ways to help prevent blind spot accidents. Some of these ways are:

Using properly adjusted mirrors in the way they are intended to be used.
Don’t put things on your windows or hang them from your mirrors
Changing to convex mirrors, with their more expansive range of vision, or adding a small blind spot mirror also help.
Check around you before changing lanes or for other drivers changing lanes.
Try to drive outside the blind spots of other drivers.
Obey the traffic laws.
Don’t drive distracted.

None of these steps guarantees there will not be a blind spot / no-zone accident, but they can help prevent them.

How Dangerous Is a Truck Blind Spot / No-Zone Accident?

Accidents between a truck and a car in the truck’s blind spot are often severe and cause serious injuries, damages, and even death. This risk is mainly because of the significant size and weight difference between a 3,000-pound car, and an 80,000-pound loaded truck. As with all truck versus car accidents, the physics involved in the collision greatly favor the truck driver.

What Are Common Injuries in Truck Blind Spot / No-Zone Accidents?

The most common injuries are usually quite severe and include:

Back and neck injuries
Broken Bones
Concussion and Traumatic brain injury
Loss of limbs
Internal Bleeding
Nerve damage
Broken glass and flying debris injuries
Seat belt related injuries

How Can I Tell If I’m in a Truck’s Blindspot?

If you pull up beside a truck and cannot see yourself in its side mirrors, then the driver cannot see you. At that point, extreme caution is advised. Do not change lanes toward the truck and try to change your speed to find yourself in the truck’s mirror. This will ensure that the driver can see you.

Call Us to Speak to a Florida Blind Spot / No-Zone Accident Attorney Today!

Blindspot accidents are tricky to prove. Eric Stevenson and Chris Klotz have years of experience handling blind spot accidents in Florida. Call 850-706-4538 in Pensacola to speak with an attorney about your accident or injury today. Contact Stevenson Klotz Injury Lawyers for help with your blind spot / no-zone accident.