No-zone Truck Accidents

Posted by Daniel on Feb 8, 2016 in Motor Accidents | 0 comments

A semi-trucks or an 18-wheeler (also called a big rig or a tractor-trailer) is about 70 feet long and weighs around 80,000 lbs. – this is about 20-30 times the weight of a passenger car. Due to its size and weight, this vehicle can easily crush anything on its path if ever its driver loses control over it and causes an accident.

A semi-truck’s size and weight are not the only features that make it a threat on the road; there is also its total length (combined length of truck and freight trailer), which is a cause for its driver to fail to notice a smaller vehicle that may be driving around it. The areas around an 18-wheeler are called “no-zone” or blind spot areas. These areas refer to spots where crashes are most likely to occur because smaller vehicles are not noticeable to the truck driver. These “no-zone” or blind spot areas, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), include:

• Front area, where smaller vehicle can be rear-ended or crashed by a truck if ever its driver makes a suddenly slows down or makes an emergency stop. Cars slowing down right after overtaking a truck is actually one of the things truck drivers badly hate;
• Rear area, where smaller vehicles tailgate a truck. Tailgating is not just really dangerous and a major traffic safety issue, it is also legally prohibited in all states; and,
• Right or passenger side of a truck, where a truck driver can totally fail to notice smaller vehicles. If a truck makes a right turn, the vehicle to its right can also easily be crushed.

On its website, the law firm Ausband & Dumont talks about the occurrence of many serious accidents simply because truck drivers often fail to be reasonably aware of vehicles that enter any of their truck’s “no-zone” or blind spot areas.

One consoling news for victims of truck accidents is their opportunity to seek compensation from the liable party for their damages which include property damage and injuries.