When you look at a truck driver cruising along in their cab, have you ever wondered whether they could see you? Or at what point they first noticed you?
Many truckers go along blissfully unaware of your presence for large stretches at a time. In some cases, this is because they are half asleep or not paying attention. Sadly, there’s not much you can do about that.
What you can do something about is your road positioning
The reason a trucker might not have noticed you is that you were sitting in one of their blind spots. Here is how they pan out for the average truck:
- On the left: Think about their left-hand mirror. Typically it is quite high. If you were sitting right underneath it, you would not appear. You need to drop back a considerable way until you do. A good rule of thumb is that if you cannot see yourself in their mirror, they probably cannot see you.
- On the right: Again, this relates to their mirror being high off the ground. Yet the blind spot on this side is much wider, often extending across two lanes. This is because the driver is sitting on the other side of the cab.
- Behind: The trailers that drivers pull block their vision for at least 30 meters behind the back of the entire rig.
- In front: Truck cabs are very high off the ground, and they cannot see you if you are under their toes. You should stay at least 20 feet in front.
Even if you do stay out of a trucker’s blind spots, they could still injure you in a crash. Regardless of where you were when they hit you, with legal help, you can look at what the driver did wrong. Once you discover, you can use it to seek compensation.
