A Big Rigs Worst Nightmare: The Passenger Door Blind Spot
The Death Zone: Cyclists, Motorcycles and Small Cars
The death zone, that's what truckers call it. It's that area located on the big rigs passenger side where motorcycles, small cars and cyclists are hidden from view from the operator. In these instances, It seems that it doesn't matter how the operator adjust the mirrors and works the angles; it's just the physical angle of the spot that makes it impossible to detect smaller objects in that space.
On August 14, 2014 the Vancouver Province Newspaper published an article in their driving section titled "Where Are You? I Can't See You There". The article was written by a commercial truck driver who discussed his personal experiences in dealing with moving objects in the area which he called the "death zone."
According to the author of the article "bicycles or motorcycles are so skinny, [that] my mirrors cannot see [them]. [Their] vehicles needs to be further back and almost on the painted lane markers before I can see them. But no. They are dead centre, behind me. Blind spot. The death zone."
He continued, "cyclists and motorcycles like to get a free ride by tucking in close and letting the vortex from my trailer suck them down the road. One tap of the brakes on my six axles, and it's a messy time for that two wheeler."
At Smart Lite We Understand!
At Smart Lite, we understand the deadly consequences that await those who are caught in the 'dead zone'. We also understand the position of the operator and the difficulty that he or she has in determining if anyone or anything is in that zone.
About Smart Lite
60% of all truck accidents are directly contributed to the front end blind spot of commercial trucks. In North America alone over 5,000 deaths and 140,000 injuries occur annually. At Smart Lite we believe that those statistics are far too high.
What is Smart Lite? Smart Lite is designed to reduce crashes, to save lives and to reduce injuries. The system was designed by Marty Vanderhoek, a professional commercial truck driver with over 20 years experience in the industry. It is a simple, yet unique design that utilises simple mirror to mirror technology to completely expose the entire front end area of the truck to the driver from inside the cab. As a result. the device offers the driver a clear and unrestricted view of any vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist or pedestrian that could be in the front or blind spots or no zone area of the truck.
No high tech cameras, mirrors or unreliable beeper systems. With Smart Lite the driver instantly sees whatever is in the front and blind spot areas of the truck by a split second glance into the West Coast mirror. For more information on the Smart Lite system please visit our web page or contact us at info@xlite.ca
About Marty Vanderhoek : Inventor of the Smart Lite
Marty Vanderhoek is a life long trucker from Langley, B.C., Canada whose been at the wheel since 1975, from fish to fruit he’s pulled it all.
His 35 years experience behind the wheel has taught him the many dangers that truckers face on a daily basis. One area is that front end blind spot that plagues every truck driver. How on earth can you see that car or motorcycle that is running beside you and a little ahead of your door?. Essentially, you can't! Until Now....
Drawing upon his 35 years experience behind the wheel Marty invented the Smart Lite; A simple system which he says is “A breakthrough in commercial trucking that will save lives” According to Marty "The Smart Lite device is revolutionary in that it allows the operator to see what is occupying the space in that front end blind spot. Before Smart Lite there was no device or system that allowed the operator to make a 100% visual determination of what was beside him and a little ahead of his door. With Smart Lite that problem is now solved."
Indeed, this simple yet revolutionary safety device is already being hailed by commercial truckers for its simplicity and effectiveness. The device has already received an endorsement by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) as a safety feature that greatly improves trucker safety.
"A Breakthrough In Commercial Trucking That Will Save Lives!"
Smart Lite uses mirror to mirror technology to eliminate front end blind spots. All large trucks have side mirrors that a driver uses to view everything beside and behind the truck. Smart Lite is mounted on both sides at the rear and and at the top of a truck. This is the lace where the trucks reverse or back up lights are typically mounted on semi trailer trucks.
