Blind Spot Blunder: B.C. transport truck crushes $600k McLaren

Article content

Nobody was injured in an accident involving a supercar and a semi truck pulling a trailer on B.C.’s Coquihalla Highway near Hope last weekend. However, the pricey auto was damaged to the tune of $100,000 thanks to the truck driver’s alleged negligence. 

Article content

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Blind Spot Blunder: B.C. transport truck crushes $600k McLaren Back to video

B.C. RCMP reported a McLaren was attempting to move past a transport truck in a passing lane after leaving a construction zone when the offending truck also tried to pass. The truck driver pulled out before turning to check the truck’s large blind spots. The truck appears to have made contact with the coupe’s right side, badly caving in and scratching the panels from front to back. 

“The mirrors on commercial vehicles are meant to alert drivers to vehicles traveling on either side of the truck-trailer combination, but there are blind spots that can catch drivers by surprise in some circumstances,” said Cst. Dave Vanderput. “The same can be said for mirrors on passenger vehicles and, while there are ways to set one’s mirrors to reduce blind spots, it is best to be alert and visually check blind spots before making turns or lane changes. There is no substitute for the visual blind spot check, and reliance on blind spot detection on many newer vehicles should be avoided.”

Article content

In addition to the truck driver’s insurance policy going up, which it assuredly will, they were also handed a $109 fine plus three driving points for failing to yield to a passing vehicle.

The $100,000-plus ‘whoopsie’ is an expensive but injury-free reminder for all drivers of vehicles of any size — including and especially those drivers of large transit trucks, which according to the B.C. government, are involved in 20 per cent of fatal crashes in the province each year — to check their blind spots whenever changing lanes.