The Impact of Blind Spot (“No-Zone”) Truck Accidents in Urban Atlanta Traffic

Sightlines are notoriously spotty for commercial truck drivers. Despite the driver operating their vehicle higher off the roadway surface, the size and shape of these large trucks make it difficult for a driver to see around the sides of their truck. This is why blind spots frequently come into play after a truck collides with a passenger vehicle in heavily trafficked urban Atlanta. 

Also known as No-Zones, blind spots are the areas around large trucks where a driver cannot see the passenger vehicle. Due to the extreme length of these commercial trucks, the blind spots for truck drivers can extend to several car lengths in front of, on the sides of, and behind their trucks. 

Suffering an injury after being hit by a commercial truck is a difficult circumstance. The impact of these Blind Spot accidents is far-reaching for injury victims attempting to receive compensation for their damages. 

What Makes Commercial Truck Blind Spots So Dangerous?

There are a number of different factors that contribute to truck blind spots being so much more dangerous than the blind spots for a typical passenger vehicle. The size discrepancy may be foremost among them. 

A passenger vehicle weighs approximately 1.5 tons (3,000 pounds) while a commercial truck weighs significantly more, coming in at nearly 40 tons (80,000 pounds). A collision between two objects that are disparate in size, traveling at speeds topping 60 miles per hour, has the potential to result in major damage and severe injuries. 

Consider what can happen in a passenger vehicle if the driver fails to check their mirrors before changing lanes. It is possible that a smaller vehicle, such as a motorcycle, may go undetected. On the other hand, if a commercial truck driver fails to check his mirrors before changing lanes, the consequences are potentially far greater. 

All the physical aspects of a large truck exacerbate the blind spots that truck drivers encounter. Blind spot length for trucks is far longer than a passenger vehicle’s blind spots. Consider that a truck’s rear blind spot extends hundreds of feet behind the vehicle. 

Challenges of Driving Through Urban Atlanta Traffic For Truck Drivers

The highways and interstates of Atlanta are some of the most congested and highly traveled in the United States. That is true not only for passenger vehicles but for commercial trucks, as well. When blind spot accidents occur between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle, the weight discrepancy between the vehicles alone is enough to make a bad accident turn into a catastrophe.

Consider that the following interstates, which run through Atlanta’s urban core, see some of the most serious trucking accidents in the entire country:

• Within the I-85 corridor up to and including the area known as the Perimeter, there are nearly constant road elements that require careful merging to occur. Changing lanes and two lanes becoming one place is a heavy burden on truck drivers to be able to avoid colliding with passenger vehicles. 
• Once truck drivers reach the Perimeter in the outer ring of urban Atlanta, the congestion only increases. More vehicles on the interstate, plus lane changing and construction zones make this area hazardous for trucking accidents.
• For I-75 drivers, making their way through urban Atlanta requires patience multiple times a typical day. All the elements discussed in other areas of Atlanta apply equally, if not more so, to I-75.

Which Truck Blind Spots Cause the Most Accidents?

Let’s start at the most logical place when discussing a commercial truck’s blind spots- the front. Passenger vehicles that are traveling immediately in front of a commercial truck carry the risk of a truck driver not seeing them. This may seem counterintuitive, but the low profile of even taller passenger vehicles makes visibility a concern for a truck driver who is much higher off the roadway and is set further back due to the relatively tall and longer front of a commercial truck. 

By far the most dangerous of all the blind spots on a truck, however, is on the right side of the vehicle. This is the side of the vehicle opposite where the driver is. Not only does this blind spot extend out a single passenger vehicle width, but it continues outward over multiple lanes. Although not common on interstates, accidents involving commercial trucks turning right and pinning passenger vehicles against curbs and other objects occur commonly. 

The rear of a vehicle presents the longest blind spot for commercial trucks. It is estimated that the average commercial truck driver has a blind spot of up to 200 feet behind the truck. There are no rearview or side mirrors, which can account for the sheer length of this blind spot. It is possible to better position a side mirror to account for this blind spot, but it cannot be totally minimized. In other words, when a passenger vehicle follows a truck too closely, its chances of being involved in an accident increase dramatically. 

What Happens In a Typical Truck Accident in Atlanta?

Many commercial truck accidents in Atlanta begin with a truck simply changing lanes one way or another. A passenger vehicle may observe a turn signal being initiated or see the truck start to change lanes. As we just finished discussing, however, the truck may not be able to see or hear the passenger vehicle due to ambient noise and the prodigious blind spots of these massive trucks. 

When safety training and other protocols are not followed by truck drivers, serious accidents can result. This is where an injury victim needs to have reliable, first-rate representation to fight for the benefits he or she deserves. This is where the Atlanta truck accident attorney team at Mabra Law can help.

Speak with an Atlanta Truck Accident Attorney Today For a Free Case Review

When you have suffered a catastrophicinjury in a truck accident, contact Mabra Law. Our Atlanta truck accident attorney team knows how to help injury victims receive maximum compensation.