Typically weighing more than 10,000 pounds, a commercial truck has the potential to be one of the most dangerous objects in the world. Businesses everywhere depend on these vehicles to make their products available from coast to coast in very short times, due to their tremendous power and huge storage space.
However, because they have so much room for holding goods, they obstruct the driver’s view more than any other vehicle. Since it’s much more convenient for businesses to keep their shipping trips to a minimum, truck manufacturers don’t make a lot of room for mirrors to reflect the truck’s surroundings; doing that would mean drastically restricting the height and length of the trailer.
At an average of about 1,400 times a day—more than once per state—commercial trucks collide with everyday vehicles, causing utterly miserable and life-complicating injuries.
This epidemic of commercial truck accidents is mainly due to the fact that the drivers cannot see asphalt:
- Directly behind the vehicle.
- Next to the left front corner of the trailer.
- Next to most of the trailer’s right-hand side.
- Next to the right front wheel.
- Very close in front of the front bumper.
The driver is seated so high in front of such a large wagon, smaller automobiles are practically invisible. In addition, because all traffic is required to travel on the right-hand side, right turns are relatively abrupt.
This is especially true for commercial trucks, since their trailers are loosely attached for the purpose of conveniently adjusting to angle changes.