Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Truck design can play a big role in trucking accidents in Miami and other cities. Certain elements of truck design – such as under-ride guards – can help prevent injuries in the event of a collision. Other design features – such as braking technology – can give drivers more control of a truck to prevent crashes from happening in the first place.
Designers Create Cab to Offer More Visibility
A new study in London suggests that a new “direct vision” truck design could save lives and prevent trucking collisions by improving visibility for drivers. The new design features a more aerodynamic, longer truck cab. The study claims that the design could save hundreds of lives and prevent many bicycle and pedestrian accidents each year if implemented.
The new cab has a more rounded front, larger glass area, smaller dashboard, and lower driver seat. The cab is also 80 cm longer than most traditional truck cabs. The thinking behind the design is that it helps the driver to see more of the road in front and to the sides of the cab, reducing the blind spots of the vehicle.
Blind Spots and Trucking Collisions
There is no doubt that blind spots are the cause of many trucking accidents. Due to their large size, trucks have a large “no zone” along the sides of the tractor trailer and immediately behind the truck. When drivers follow trucks too closely or trail along the sides of a truck, truck drivers cannot see them and this can lead to side swipe accidents and other collisions. While mirrors can help drivers see some of the road alongside their trucks, mirrors alone cannot make up for the size of the blind spots.
The new “direct vision” truck design would increase the field of view along the side and in front of the truck by up to 50 percent when compared with traditional tractor trailer designs. The new trucks would have larger windows and smaller cab height as well as other design features that would improve visibility.
How Likely Are Companies to Adopt the Design Elements?
While the new truck design could help prevent fatalities and truck accidents in Florida and in other countries, in order for the design to work trucking companies would have to buy the new cabs. This is often where new potentially-life-saving technologies encounter a stumbling block. Many trucking companies may want to see more than one study before being convinced that the new truck designs are indeed safer. Most truck companies may also consider budget and not just safety when deciding whether to buy the new designs, which may mean that some carriers will not buy the new design simply due to cost concerns.
If you have been injured in a trucking accident involving a commercial truck, you will want to get legal advice before you make any decisions about your case. You can contact Flaxman Law Group at any time if you would like to review your case for free with a legal professional. Just contact our law firm for a free accident consultation.