Seattle to add warning signals for bus drivers
Seattle is installing "blind spot" alarms on their buses that will alert bus drivers that a pedestrian is in their "blind spot". I put blind spot in quotation marks because on a commercial vehicle, or any vehicle, there should never be an area that the driver cannot see. If there is, then the vehicle is designed or equipped negligently.
Buses and trucks frequently hit pedestrians and bicyclists when turning because they fail to see the smaller roadway user.
The types of alarms that Seattle is installing are a "workaround" to the real problem, which is bus and trucking companies' failure to properly train their employees and failure to install cameras and mirrors to allow drivers to ensure that their path is clear before turning.
I have sat in trucks and seen what a driver can see when a truck is properly equipped and when a truck is negligently equipped. The view that an $50 aftermarket mirror creates for the driver of a large motor vehicle can literally be the difference between life and death for other roadway users.
Charley Gee is a Portland personal injury lawyer. He exclusively represents injured people against insurance companies and corporations.
