Philadelphia Blind Spot Trucking Accident Lawyer

Nearly 98 percent of those killed in accidents involving a truck were the drivers of the passenger car. In Pennsylvania, out of the 7,087 truck accidents that occurred in 2007, 178 deaths resulted from these types of crashes. According to the United States Department of Transportation, approximately 500,000 accidents are caused by truck blind spot accidents each year, with nearly 160,000 truck related fatalities. If you, or a loved one, have been injured as a cause of a truck driving accident, a Philadelphia blind spot trucking accident attorney at Rosenbaum and Associates may be able to assist you investigate the cause of the accident, and help determine if a blind spot was the root cause of an accident.

The U.S. Department of Transportation since 1994, has been warning about the dangers of driving with trucks on the road through two of the Federal Motor Safety Administration programs, the “Teens and Trucks,” program, and the program “Don’t Hang out in the No-Zone.” These two programs strive to educate all drivers about the specific hazards of driving alongside trucks and the driving requirements needed to safely coexist on the roads. A commercial truck has four known blind spots or “no-zones”, the area immediately behind the truck, directly in front of the truck, the area surrounding the passenger’s side cabin, and a small portion adjacent to the driver’s side of the truck’s cabin. Generally speaking if you cannot see the truck driver’s face in his or her side mirror, than he or she cannot see you. When a passenger car does get into an accident with a large truck the sheer size of the truck tends to lessen the injuries of the truck driver and exacerbate the injuries of the passenger vehicle.

These tips and tricks for driving with trucks in Philadelphia can help every driver, and potential driver, navigate the roads safely.

• Keep in mind that a fully loaded tractor-trailer requires approximately twice the distance to stop than that of a passenger vehicle & trucks with overloaded cargo could pose a further threat
• When it comes to trucks, the bigger the truck the bigger the blind spot.
• The longer the vehicle, the greater the difference in the turning path required for a wide turn.
• You diminish your own cushion of safety when you tailgate a truck, or cut in front of one abruptly, as 1) the truck driver may very well not see you as you are in their “no-zone” and 2) trucks are not as maneuverable as passenger vehicles, when a hazard pops up on the road you want to ensure your safety, and those of your loved ones, by factoring in the likelihood that large trucks may need to make a quick correction that takes both time and space.
• Always pass a large truck on their left side, and do not linger in the process. The quicker you can get out of the truck’s “no-zone” in a controlled manner the better.
• Lastly, truck driver’s cannot see everyone on the road simply because they sit higher off the ground, instead they are blanketed by blind spot where a driver loses sight of the vehicles on the road.
• One out of every eight traffic fatalities involves a trucking collision.

If you would like more information trucking accidents involving blind spots in Philadelphia and to determine whether you have grounds for a case, please contact Rosenbaum & Associates online or call 1 800 7 LEGAL 7 for a Free Case Evaluation.