What Is a No-Zone Accident?

“No-zone” is another word for “blind spot”. More specifically, it refers to one of the numerous areas around a commercial truck that make it dangerous for a car to drive close to a truck. A no-zone accident is one that occurs while a vehicle is in a truck’s blind spot, often involving reduced visibility and delayed reaction time from the truck driver. No matter what you drive, you need to be aware of all the no-zones if you ever share the road with big-rig trucks.

Where are a truck’s no-zones?

No-zones surround a truck:

• The right side of a truck, often extending across multiple lanes depending on the truck’s size and mirror coverage.
• The immediate rear of the truck.
• The immediate front of the truck.
• The left side of the truck, next to the driver.

A rule of thumb when searching for a truck’s no-zone is that if you can’t see the driver’s rearview mirrors, you are in their no-zone. It doesn’t follow, however, that if you CAN see the driver’s rearview mirrors then you are not in their no-zone. Sometimes a no-zone exists even when you can see the truck’s mirrors.

Top 10 causes of no-zone accidents

Following is a list of the top causes of no-zone accidents, with a focus on accidents caused by the trucker

Sudden lane changes

An accident is particularly likely when a truck attempts to change to its right lane, where its largest blind spot lies. This might happen when a truck driver makes a last-second decision to take a certain interstate exit, for example.

Tailgating

Commercial trucks are notorious for this. But a tailgating truck cannot see exactly how close it is to the car’s back bumper.

Cutting in front of a motorist

Cutting in front exposes a motorist to the trucker’s rear no-zone.

Icy or wet road conditions

Icy road conditions might cause a trucker to slide into a vehicle located in their no-zone. This is particularly likely during turns and braking. A car trapped in a truck’s rear no-zone has limited visibility and reaction time.

Improper mirror adjustments

Adjusting a mirror means adjusting the no-zone, which could cause you to fall into one of these dangerous areas. Likewise, a truck might be in your no-zone if you adjust your mirror improperly.

Improper merging

A truck merging onto a freeway might not notice a vehicle in its side no-zone—especially if the vehicle is accelerating from an on-ramp at the same time.

Speeding

Speeding reduces a truck’s margin of error. Because of a commercial truck’s weight, it already stops slower than most vehicles. A speeding truck is particularly dangerous. Even minor misjudgments in blind spot awareness can result in catastrophic consequences.

Sudden braking

Sudden braking can cause a disastrous underride accident by a car in the truck’s rear blind spot. Underride accidents are frequently fatal.

Wide turns

Trucks making wide turns, especially right turns, often swing out and cut sharply back. This maneuver can trap nearby vehicles, leading to possible sideswipe or crushing accidents. A car caught in the truck’s right-side no-zone might suffer a sideswipe or crushing accident. These accidents are common in cramped urban intersections.

Distracted driving

Truck drivers have many ways of getting distracted—their phone, their GPS, or their radio can all present distractions, for example. A distracted trucker can easily drift into an occupied no-zone, with disastrous consequences.

Trucking regulations and liability

Negligence per se is a legal concept that applies when someone violates a safety law or regulation, and that violation causes the type of harm the law was meant to prevent. If the injured person is part of the class the law was designed to protect, the violation is automatically considered negligent without needing further proof of unreasonableness. Proving negligence is not enough to win-–you must also prove causation and damages.

In a truck accident, you might establish negligence per se by proving that the trucker violated an FMCSA trucking regulation. Trucking is a highly regulated industry, and trucking regulations apply to everything from failure to adjust mirrors to fatigued driving.

How to avoid a no-zone accident

There is no guarantee you’ll be able to avoid a no-zone accident. There are ways, however, you minimize your risk:

• Know where a truck’s no-zones are located.
• Do your best to stay out of a truck’s no-zone. If you are unsure, at least make sure that you can see the driver’s face in their own rear-view mirror. If you can, you’ll probably be out of their no-zone.
• Pass with caution. Don’t pass on the truck’s right side.
• Avoid tailgating, and don’t “stand your ground” if a truck is tailgating you. Move out of the way for your own safety.
• Keep your distance as much as you can. Under some circumstances this might become temporarily impossible.
• Exercise increased vigilance when a truck’s turn signal is flashing.

General defensive driving techniques can keep you out of trouble.

How a lawyer can help you

A lawyer can help you in a number of ways. They can:

• Provide you with timely legal advice (such as, avoid posting about your case on social media).
• Negotiate a generous settlement with the insurance company. Commercial truckers are often well-insured.
• Gather persuasive evidence and package it into organized exhibits.
• File a lawsuit, if need be. Filing a lawsuit doesn’t guarantee a trial. In many cases personal injury victims file lawsuits to gain bargaining leverage.
• Calculate the amount of your non-economic damages.
• Find expert witnesses to testify in your favor.
• Fight back against accusations that the accident was your fault.

These are but a few of the dozens of ways that an experienced truck accident lawyer can help you.

Do you need a lawyer after a no-zone accident?

If you were injured, or if the damage to your car is significant, you are probably better off retaining an experienced Oklahoma City truck accident attorney to handle your no-zone accident. Cunningham & Mears has handled a multitude of truck accident claims, and we know how to handle stingy insurance companies. The best part is that under our contingency fee system, you owe nothing in attorney’s fees unless we win your case.