Crossover Mirrors For Trucks Prevent Pedestrian Deaths

Lack of use of crossover mirrors for commercial trucks which cause pedestrian deaths is a preventable crisis

Drivers of commercial semi trucks are running pedestrians over and killing them, because crossover mirrors that cost a couple hundred dollars are not required in trucks. There’s no reason why, in congested urban areas and city streets, crossover mirrors should not be on trucks.

As an attorney who litigates trucking accidents both in Michigan and nationwide, I know that truck drivers are taught, “there is no such thing as a blind spot if the driver is looking ahead to where the truck will be moving.”

But when a truck driver does not know his “No Zone” because he does not look ahead, then there can be a  large blind spot directly in front of and to the immediate left and right of the cab.

Crossover mirrors for commercial trucks are a simple, $100 to $250 cost that eliminates this blind spot. The mirrors are designed so that any person who is at least three feet tall and at least one foot away from the front of the cab can be seen by the truck driver in the mirror.

Crossover mirrors installed on commercial trucks are a simple, cost-effective solution that eliminates blind spots that could otherwise exist every time a truck makes a stop at a traffic light or stop sign on a city street.

Bicyclist and pedestrian deaths from these types of truck accidents are sadly very common. Consider these statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration:

• In 2020, the most recent year for which national data is available, 514 pedestrians were killed in large truck crashes, up from 453 in 2019 and 452 in 2018.
• In 2020, the most recent year for which national data is available, 84 bicyclists lost their lives in crashes involving large trucks. This was down from 89 in 2019, but up from 78 in 2018.

(Source: FMCSA, Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2020, September 2022, “People Table 19. Pedestrians and Bicyclists Killed in Large Truck, Bus, and All Crashes, 2018-2020”)

I was interviewed by Stephen Miller of streetsblog.org, a popular travel blog, on this safety crisis.

Here’s the full article: Will the Feds Step Up for Ped Safety and Close the Crossover Mirror Loophole?

In New York City, these deaths are occurring in part due to a loophole in the city’s municipal law. Crossover mirrors are required by law in New York. However, the requirement only applies to commercial trucks which are registered and operate in New York City. Trucks that are not registered in New York are exempt from the law.

I told Mr. Miller that the best solution is a federal regulation requiring all semi trucks to have these inexpensive crossover mirrors.

Such a solution would not only close the New York loophole, but save lives and make roads safer for  pedestrians, bicyclists and children on city streets nationwide.

Crossover mirrors on commercial trucks are not required by law in Michigan or in most other states at this time.

I told Mr. Miller about a tragic truck accident death case I recently litigated last year, where  my client, a bicyclist, was killed in a crosswalk by a large commercial truck in Macomb County, Michigan. The truck driver maintained that he never saw the victim (an 83-year-old man) because he was presumably in the truck’s blind spot. The truck driver never looked ahead to see who would be falling into this blind spot as he was approaching the traffic signal. When my client entered the crosswalk on a white walk signal, the truck driver proceeded to make a blind right turn on the red light, running over, dragging, and killing the man.

If the company had spent a couple hundred dollars on crossover mirrors for their trucks, and if these mirrors were required on all commercial motor vehicles, that man would be alive today.

Preventable deaths like this  are occurring every week in city streets across America.

Of course, a truck driver still has to look to see what is in the mirror. But spending around $100  to install these crossover mirrors is a very small price to pay to save innocent lives.

It is really that easy.

Injured in a semi truck accident? Call Michigan Auto Law now!

Even if commercial trucks are equipped with crossover mirrors, accidents can still happen. If you were injured in a commercial truck accident, call Michigan Auto Law now (800) 968-1001 for a free consultation with an experienced truck accident lawyer. There is no cost or obligation. You can also visit our contact page or use the chat feature on our website.

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