What You Can’t See As A Driver

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Road Blind Spots are one of the most common causes of collisions in Australia. It is a common misconception that truck drivers have the same blind spots as car drivers. Truck drivers have to worry about their side mirrors, the trailer, the Prime mover, and their blind spots.

The most common blind spot for a truck driver is the trailer area. It is easy for them to forget about what’s happening in this area because of how far away it is from them. This can be dangerous because it can lead to collisions with other vehicles on the road.

These blind spots are created by the truck’s high body built and protruding mirrors, but also by the gap between a truck’s front and rear wheels. The driver can’t see through these gaps and this is a major problem for other road users who are unaware of these blind spots and may not know how to react when they suddenly find themselves in them.

That’s because drivers don’t always have time to react when they find themselves in a truck’s blind spot – with potentially fatal consequences.

Trucks differ across make and model, and the size and type of mirrors fitted may differ, they all have similar blind areas where other road users simply cannot be seen.

You should know where your blind spots are when traveling on the road. Below are the common blind spot areas of a truck:

beside the truck’s left door
directly behind the truck for quite a distance – if you cannot see the truck driver in the truck’s mirror, then the truck driver cannot see you
immediately in front of the truck.
on the passenger side, extending into the adjacent lane and backward
left of the bonnet on bonneted trucks

To avoid getting entangled in a collision and being in great danger on the road, get clear of a truck driver’s blind spots as soon as you can. Move to a position well in front of or behind the truck, where the driver can see you.

As a truck driver, you should be more careful and exert extra effort to drive safely and protect the other road users that share the road with your truck. You are larger than them, so collision could be fatal. A reminder from Tegral Transport Equipment.