You Are Invisible — Truck & Bus Blind Spots
A motorcyclist in Mumbai traffic filters to the left side of a slowing truck at a junction. The truck driver sees the green light and turns left. The motorcyclist, deep in the truck's left blind spot, is invisible in every one of the truck's mirrors. The truck's rear wheels sweep through the turn. The motorcyclist survives with critical injuries. This scenario repeats dozens of times a day across India's cities. It is almost always preventable.
The Four Truck Blind Spots — Know Them Precisely
Large trucks and buses have four significant blind zones where you are completely invisible to the driver. Front blind spot: approximately 10 metres directly in front of the cab — the high cab position means the driver cannot see anything immediately below and ahead of the windscreen. Rear blind spot: approximately 30 metres directly behind the trailer — there is no rear-view mirror on a truck. Right-side blind spot: from the cab door rearward, approximately 3 lanes wide. Left-side blind spot: the worst of all — from just behind the cab door extending the full length of the trailer, and wider than the right side.
The universal blind spot rule near large vehicles: if you cannot see the truck or bus driver's face in their mirror, they cannot see you. This is geometry, not approximation. If the mirror is not in your line of sight, you are outside its reflection angle and invisible to the driver. Always position yourself where you can see at least one of the driver's mirrors — and check that the driver can see you.
The Most Dangerous Moment — Turning Trucks
A turning truck creates an 'off-tracking' hazard: the rear wheels of a heavy truck track inside the arc of the front wheels on a turn. A truck turning left may appear to move right first before swinging left — many motorcyclists see this rightward movement and filter into the left space, directly into the path of the sweeping rear axle. Never filter on the left side of a truck that is signalling or beginning a left turn. The rear wheels will complete their arc through that space.
When a truck signals or begins a left turn, the space to its left is a death trap. The truck's rear axle tracks inside the front wheels' arc and sweeps through that space as the turn is completed — even if the space appears available when you begin to filter. This is the single most common truck-motorcycle fatality scenario in Indian urban traffic. Wait behind the truck until it has fully completed the turn.
Stopping in the 10-metre zone directly in front of a truck at a red light puts you in the driver's complete front blind spot. When the light turns green and the truck moves forward, the driver may not see you. Position yourself either well ahead of the truck where you are clearly visible, or to the side. Never stop immediately in front of a truck's cab at a signal.
Following a truck: maintain at least 30 metres (the rear blind spot distance). To overtake: signal, check mirrors and blind spot, move right, accelerate through quickly — do not linger alongside. Return left only when you can see the truck's full front grille in your left mirror. At signals: position in front of (far ahead) or to the right of the truck where you are visible. In urban traffic: avoid the left side of any large vehicle at all times.
Filtering Through Traffic — Visibility Strategy
Two-wheelers legally filter through slower traffic in India — but blind spot awareness is essential. When filtering, choose the gap that keeps you visible. Prefer the space between car lanes over filtering inside a truck or bus. Make eye contact with car drivers — if a driver looks at you, they have seen you. Do not filter at speed past vehicles where the driver cannot anticipate your position. Reduce speed significantly whenever approaching any large vehicle, particularly near junctions.
Signs for Truck-Aware Riding
Trucks Prohibited
Truck silhouette in a crossed red circle — big vehicles, no entry.
Keep Left
Blue circle with white arrow pointing left — blue means positive instruction, not prohibition.
A truck is signalling a left turn at a junction and there is a visible gap on the truck's left side. What should a motorcyclist do?
Tap an option to reveal the answer
- ✓Truck blind spots: 10m front, 30m rear, ~3 lanes right-side, even wider left-side — avoid all four.
- ✓If you cannot see the truck driver's face in their mirror, they cannot see you — reposition immediately.
- ✓Never filter on the left of a turning truck — the rear axle sweeps through that space.
- ✓Never stop in the 10m zone directly in front of a truck at signals — you are invisible to the driver.
- ✓Keep 30m following distance behind trucks; overtake right, quickly, and only return left when fully clear.
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