When you are driving, you are supposed to be aware of your surroundings, but some surroundings are easier to keep an eye on than others. Driver’s ed teachers are constantly reminding students when to look in the sideview mirror, when to look in the rearview, and when to look straight ahead at the road. It takes practice to keep shifting your focus among all these places while operating a fast-moving, steel machine that weighs much more than you do, but even once you have become adept at this whole driving thing, there are some places near your car that are not easy to see. These places are known as blind spots, and they cause a lot of accidents, especially when inexperienced drivers are involved.
Even though most accidents involving one car driving in another’s blind spot do not result in serious injuries, the resulting vehicle damage and the medical bills arising from relatively minor injuries can still add up to major financial losses. If you have been injured in a car accident where another driver did not see you in the car’s blind spot, contact a Santa Fe motor vehicle accident lawyer.
What Causes Vehicle Blind Spots, and How Should You Deal With Them?
It is not possible to stand outside of a car that you have never driven and know exactly where the blind spots will be. Furthermore, the blind spots change from one moment to the next. A blind spot is any place beside or behind the car that you cannot see through your mirrors because the car’s frame is blocking your view. Properly adjusting your mirrors will make your blind spots smaller, but unless your car is made entirely of transparent materials, they will still be there. There is a way to see what is in your blind spot, though; just move your head and upper body so that you are looking at your mirrors from a slightly different angle. It also helps to be tall; the taller you are, the smaller your blind spots will be.
How Blind Spots Affect Car Accident Insurance Claims
Many fender benders and lane change accidents occur when one car is in the blind spot of another vehicle. In most cases, fault for the accident belongs to the driver who did not look carefully enough to notice the other car in his or her blind spot. You would be at fault for the accident if you intentionally stayed in the other driver’s blind spot for an extended period, but it is hard to do this unless your car is very small. Because of New Mexico’s comparative negligence laws, you can still receive compensation for a portion of your accident-related financial losses, even if the accident was partially your fault.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in motor vehicle accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.aarp.org/auto/driver-safety/vehicles-mirrors-blind-spots/