In New York City, trucking attorneys know that 70 percent of accidents involving pedestrians and large trucks occur because big-rig drivers cannot see people passing directly in front of their vehicles. A new New York state trucking law requires many large semis to be equipped with convex mirrors when operating in the city, so drivers can see people in this front-end blind spot.
Sponsored by State Senator Martin Golden (Republican, Brooklyn), the law takes effect January 18 and applies to all large trucks registered in New York state that have a maximum gross weight of 26,000 pounds. Convex mirrors have been standard equipment on school buses for decades.
Without these mirrors, known as “fish eyes” among drivers, anyone passing directly in front of a truck is essentially invisible to the driver, due to the height of the cab’s hood. Both Golden and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who signed the bill, noted that requiring convex mirrors will make New York’s streets safer for all.
