With a flatbed load of steel, truck driver John Doe exited a truck stop and headed west on a highway. He flipped his right-turn signal and came to a stop at the next red light.
When the traffic light turned green, Doe carefully scanned his mirrors before starting to turn north on a busy two-lane.
Hidden from view was a purple sports car with an impatient driver directly behind his trailer.
The car driver also wanted to turn right and was determined to not get stuck behind an 18-wheeler with no passing lanes. The driver drove off the road and onto a grassy corner at the intersection.
Suddenly, the driver attempted to head off Doe’s truck before he could complete his turn. In an instant the car ran out of space and time, slamming into the side of Doe’s trailer.
Was this accident preventable?
John Doe contested that he could not have possibly seen the driver coming. The National Safety Council agreed, noting that there was nothing he could have done to avoid being blindsided.
