Ohio motorists may notice that their vehicles have blind spots - areas where they can't see objects behind or along the side of their vehicle. Commercial trucks have blind spots as well, but they are much larger. These are called No-Zones, and it's important for all drivers to know where they are located so they can avoid them when possible and prevent serious accidents and injuries.
There are four main spots to avoid when traveling near a semi truck. The sides of commercial trucks have especially large blind spots, so don't linger alongside a truck for too long. Try to get around it as quickly as possible. Motorists should look in the truck's side mirror and see if they can see the driver's face. If they can't, this means that the truck driver can't see the motorist, so if he or she needs to change lanes, the passenger vehicle is in danger of being wiped out.
Trucks also have large No-Zones directly behind them because they have no rear-view mirrors. Try not to follow too closely and get out of the way of a truck that is backing up. Be wary of getting too close to a truck after passing. Avoid cutting in front of a truck and then slowing down. Trucks need a lot of room to stop and the driver could rear-end the vehicle. Watch out for trucks making right turns. They need to move to the left to safely make these turns, so vehicles need to avoid trying to squeeze in between the truck and curb.
A semi truck accident can be fatal. That's why a negligently driven truck can be such a menace, even for motorists who stay out of the No-Zones. Truck accident injury attorneys can be an excellent resource for people who believe they have been injured due to a truck driver's negligence.
Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, "What is a No-Zone?" accessed May 16, 2015
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