When Blind Spots Cause Auto Accidents
Even if you think you can easily change lanes while driving, auto accidents often occur when another vehicle is in a driver’s “blind spot.” For instance, a driver may signal and begin changing lanes — without realizing another driver is already in the lane. That second driver may panic, swerve off the road, and be seriously injured.
What is a Blind Spot
The blind spot is any area around the car that cannot be observed in rearview mirrors or side mirrors. Blind spots can easily hide a cyclist or another vehicle; indeed, by the time a driver realizes he or she cannot safely change lanes, it may be too late. Understanding a car’s blind spots can help a driver avoid serious auto and truck accidents, and at the same time, prepare the driver to avoid being in someone else’s blind spot.
Blind spots generally extend out and backward from the front car windows, into the lanes on either side of the driver. Some drivers choose to attach to their vehicles wide-angle mirrors that offer the driver a wider angle for side and rear observation. Drivers of certain vehicles, such as motorcycles, have modified visibility due to their own physical limitations of how much they can turn their heads.
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