The car was still there one second before, but disappeared the next second. This is the biggest magic on the highway, able to hide the car in a conspicuous place. 

No matter how many times you have witnessed this behavior, blind spots can deceive even the most cautious drivers on the road. Reliance Partners security vice president Brian Runnels and security director Robert Kaferle remind drivers to carefully check—if not triple check—their rearview mirrors before changing lanes.

"I always tell my students that they can get more visibility by shaking forward in their seats to get a better view," Runnels said. "It won't cover the entire blind spot, but it will give you more visibility than initially."

Semi trucks are notorious for their blind spots, which to some extent obstruct the driver's vision from all sides of the vehicle. The most obvious blind spots are directly in front of the vehicle and directly behind the trailer. Those who are too close to the truck or cruising in front of the truck are usually invisible to the truck driver. 

The blind spots on both sides of the truck are where things get interesting. The left side of the truck or the driver’s side directly blocks the line of sight next to the driver’s door extending in the middle of the trailer. 

However, there is a larger blind spot on the right, which extends down to the far right. In fact, this blind spot is often spread across two lanes. Runnels said that because the blind spot is too large, many lane change accidents occur when changing lanes from right to left.

Runnels suggests that truck drivers can minimize the number of blind spots that need to be managed by creating as much space around the vehicle as possible. This includes keeping a large following distance from the vehicle in front and staying in the rightmost lane as much as possible. “The driver’s side mirror provides more visibility, so you only need to worry about the three sides of the vehicle instead of the four sides,” he said.

"My wife has been playing this game for a long time," Runnels said. "Sitting next to me in the truck, she made a good comment:'If you can't see the driver's mirror, they can't see you.'"

Kaferle considers tools and technology to solve the blind spot safety problem. He suggested that the team equip trucks with additional hood rearview mirrors and passenger side overlook mirrors to improve visibility.

"It is very important to specify vehicle specifications for the fleet, using rearview mirrors, blind spot sensors and telematics equipment as much as possible," Kaferle said. 

It is also important to ensure that the mirror is clean and adjusted appropriately. Runnels added that installing a rear-view camera is by no means a bad idea.

But the driver should not only rely on the device itself. Instead, Kaferle recommends that they be regarded as supplementary aids. He believes that blindly trusting blind spot sensors is unwise, because they sometimes make mistakes.

This is why training is so important. The more familiar the driver is with these situations, the easier it will be to recognize driving patterns and signs that the car may be in your area. 

"Sometimes you will never see a car in your blind spot, but you will see the shadow of that car, depending on how you travel and the time of day," Kaferle said, alluding to the benefits of experience. 

But road safety is a two-way street; the average driver can do his part to avoid being ignored. Kaferle urged the driver not to stay around the semi-truck, but to overtake at an appropriate speed.

Drivers are encouraged to always use the left lane when passing commercial motor vehicles. 

Drive carefully around large vehicles, paying attention to the truck’s brake lights and turn signals to understand its expected actions. Remember, if you can't see his or her face in the mirror, the truck driver can't see you.

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