Commercial trucks are an essential component of modern society. Truckers work tirelessly around the clock to make sure food products, necessities, and even luxury items get delivered to their destinations across the United States. Without large trucks, it would be nearly impossible for us to acquire the items we use on a daily basis. Even so, many people instinctively get nervous when the time comes to drive next to or pass by a commercial truck on the road.
It’s completely understandable to be wary when driving next to a commercial truck. An unladen truck can weigh between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds and a fully laden vehicle can legally weigh up to 80,000 pounds in the United States. The average weight of an automobile, in contrast, is just over 4,000 pounds. The size differences between the two means that a collision frequently inflicts severe or fatal injuries upon the occupants of the smaller vehicle. In order to stay safe while sharing the road with large vehicles, it’s essential to be able to recognize a large truck’s blind spots, or “no zones.”
In this article, we discuss what no zones are and how they can be avoided while you’re driving around large vehicles.
What Are Blind Spots & No Zones?
Every type of vehicle on the road has blind spots, or areas around the car or truck where the driver is unable to see objects or other motor vehicles. Driving in or merging into a vehicle’s blind spot can increase the risk of a collision, since the other driver may not be aware of your presence. The blind spots on traditional passenger vehicles are generally fairly easy to work around. Traditional mirrors eliminate many of the blind spots faced by drivers, and modern technologies such as blind spot warning systems offer additional protection.
However, commercial trucks and large vehicles have much larger blind spots than those found in regular cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Driving in one of the vehicle’s blind spots can cause a significant truck accident, as the driver may not know where you are relative to his trailer. Commercial trucks have four blind spots that combine to create the vehicle’s “no zone,” or regions to keep out of when driving around the larger vehicle:
- In front of the truck: Since a truck’s cab is so far above the ground, the driver’s view of what is directly in front of his vehicle will be limited.You should always keep yourself at least twenty feet in front of the truck, so you can be confident that the driver sees your vehicle on the road.
- Behind the truck: Semi-trucks do not have rear-view mirrors, since the vehicle’s trailer would block the driver’s vision even if there was one in the cab. As such, truck drivers cannot see what is directly behind their vehicle and could stop abruptly without regard for a vehicle following too closely. This can result in an underride accident, when a passenger vehicle slides underneath a truck’s trailer. This type of collision almost always causes catastrophic or fatal injuries to the occupants of the smaller vehicle.
- To the right side: The blind spot along the right side of a truck extends along the side of the trailer in the adjacent lane. As a rule of thumb, if you cannot see the truck driver’s face in their side mirror, you should expect that they are likewise unable to see your car.
- To the left side: Since the truck driver sits on the left side of the cab, the blind spot running alongside this half of the trailer is smaller than that on the right side. The blind spot begins behind the left side of the vehicle’s cab and extends back towards the rear of the trailer.
Whenever possible, you should avoid merging into or driving in a truck’s blind spot. The driver will not be able to see your car, and your vision of the road may be negatively affected as well, particularly if you are following too close to the truck.
How Truck Drivers Can Minimize the Impact of No Zones
There are some ways that a truck driver can minimize the impact of blind spots on their ability to maneuver their vehicle safely, even on a highly-trafficked road or freeway. A truck driver can reduce the risk of a blind spot crash by:
- Adding extra mirrors: In some cases, adding additional mirrors can reduce blind spots. Drivers can add a mirror to each side of the hood and an additional mirror on the passenger side of the vehicle.
- Clearing blind spots when merging: Even if a driver is confident that their blind spots are free of obstructions, they must always check that the road is clear before changing lanes.
- Positioning mirrors properly: Setting up mirrors so that they show as much of the surrounding road as possible minimizes the risk of a car slipping into and remaining within a blind spot.
- Adding safety accessories: There are many modern technologies that can help truck drivers manage blind spots on their vehicle. Some of these technologies include fish-eye mirrors, backup sensors, audible tones, and wide-angle cameras.
Protect Yourself by Avoiding No Zones
The next time you find yourself driving alongside a commercial truck on the road, take care to stay where the driver can see you at all times. Doing so protects you and the other drivers around you by reducing the chances of a serious collision. We hope this article helps you and your family stay safe on the road this year!