If you’ve been a commercial or owner operator truck driver for any length of time, you’re likely aware of your rig’s blind spots and should know how to change lanes and make turns without endangering the traffic around you. While this is important, an awareness of the blind spots of others on the road is equally important. One rule that works most of the time for knowing whether you’re in another’s blind spot is if you can see the driver’s face. If you can see his face either directly through his windshield, or through a mirror on his vehicle, he can see you too.
This rule isn’t perfect because the height difference between you and a car means that you may not see the driver’s face in his side or rear view mirrors when you’re close to his car. But if he’s paying attention, then he’s aware of you because he can see the lower part of your truck and trailer through his mirrors. This means you must exercise great care when passing a car on a multilane road because you can’t be sure if the motorist knows you’re there.
However, this rule is still effective in a number of situations such as when you have the right of way at an intersection, and another vehicle that’s stopped at the cross-road wants to go through the intersection. If you can’t see her face because it’s blocked by the A pillar of her car, then she can’t see you. Slow down and be prepared for her to cut you off if she attempts to cross without seeing you.
Yet another application of this rule is at blind intersections. Suppose you have the right of way and you see the front end of a car jutting out into an intersection from a cross street. If you can’t see the car’s windshield because it’s blocked by hedges, parked trucks, or some other obstruction, then the driver can’t see you. Again, you should slow down and proceed with caution. A similar situation is a car pulling out of a driveway onto a busy highway. Sometimes the driver is backing out, which means he could be making a “kamikaze” move because he can’t see the traffic and feels he has no other choice.
Learning other tricks like the ones above requires your being observant and thoughtful when you drive. These tips often come in handy, and may save a life someday. If you have questions or require commercial or owner operator truck insurance in Georgia, please contact us.
