You Can See Them, But Can They See You? The CTA Bus Blind Spot All Pedestrians Must Be Aware Of

Did you know that over 1700 CTA buses operate over 140 routes on a daily basis? In 2015, ABC Eyewitness News I-Team discovered that there is a Chicago CTA bus involved in an accident every 36 hours. 500 people were injured in CTA bus crashes in 2014.

Some of these accidents may have been prevented if not for a known design flaw that creates a blind spot for drivers. Driver visibility is obstructed by the left-hand windshield pillar and the driver’s side rear view mirror. What does this mean for you?

Well, if a toddler or pet makes their into the intersection, if a pedestrian has fallen, or is crossing in a wheelchair, the bus driver may not see them, particularly if they are making a left hand turn.

“What’s happened is that over the course of the last 30 years, the buses have been redesigned and the redesign blocks the view of the driver, particularly as they’re making left turns in intersections,” said Larry Hanley, International President of the Amalagamated Transit Union.

The Transport Workers Union claims that half of all recent bus accidents in New York as well as nationwide, took place because drivers were prevented from seeing pedestrians while turning left.

Rather than training bus drivers to “lean in and out of mirrors to ensure their line of site is no obstructed”, we firmly believe this is a design flaw that simply needs to be corrected.

Mitchell Hoffman and Wolf are currently handling such a case, and hope the outcome pushes further for change in the mass transit fleet. In the meantime, we urge you to take extra cautions at intersections when a bus is approaching. Teach your children to not only look both ways, but to see where a vehicle may be approaching a turn, and to be patient. And please share this article with friends and family to raise awareness.

If you have any questions about how to protect yourself, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the attorneys at MHW.law.