There was a 59% reduction in such accidents following the distribution of 40,000 Fresnel lenses to left-hand drive trucks entering the UK from the Dover ferry port.
The Highways Agency will now distribute a further 90,000 lenses at major ports in both England and France.
“Many drivers here don’t realise that left-hand drive lorries can’t easily see a car overtaking them on the right, such as on a motorway,” said road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick.
“This has resulted in more than 400 side-swipe incidents in 2006 alone.
As well as being dangerous these incidents cause delays and congestion.”
All trucks have a blind spot alongside the cab on their passenger side.
This is a particular problem for left-hand drive trucks operating in the UK when they change lanes to overtake.
Fresnel lenses offer those drivers a wider field of vision through the passenger window.
This work sits alongside a wider initiative to improve the safety of overseas vehicles using UK roads.
An extra £2 million of funding has been announced and last summer the Department for Transport confirmed measures to target overseas hauliers who break the law.
They now face on-the-spot penalties and having their vehicles immobilised.
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