Had a conversation with MBW recently about a thread he put on mentioning blind spots and thought this might be helpful. The first thing I'd say is that blind spots are so called for a reason. In a car it's possible to look over your shoulder etc. so blind spots should be minimal - in a wagon or a van that's not possible. Even with the number of mirrors you see on big wagons, there are still a number of blind spots, the biggest ones caused by the mirrors themselves being in the driver's line of vision. You will often see signs on wagons to the effect of "If you can't see my mirrors then I can't see you" but bikers need to be aware that this only applies to car drivers - if you are on a bike the sticker should say "if you can't see my face in my mirrors then I can't see you" because that is the reality. Bikers should always make sure they can see the truck driver's face if they want to be sure he has seen them.
Please, if you are passing a van or truck, don't hang about and just pass as cleanly as possible and bear in mind the above. I'm not trying to preach, just thought those that don't drive for a living or have never been in a truck might appreciate the other side of the argument. JP
I took my advanced riders course the last week, and co-incedentally, this subject came up. My instructor, a DSA rep who was assessing the course, and myself are/were all HGV drivers, and all agreed that ideally, you should make sure lorry drivers know you are there before overtaking. This is harder to do with lefthand drive trucks, but a couple of flashes is usually enough to get noticed.
And JP, your advice is the same as theirs. . . dont hang about, pass as cleanly as possible, spending as little time as possible the the 'danger area'.
Agreed, one of the worse places on a wagon is directly opposite the driver or passanger door, it's nearly impossible to see anything. And where do most drivers sit?...You guessed it. Another annoying thing is for people to stick by the side of the wagon at the same speed, fine in traffic when you can't move quicker but all other times it is dangerous. When approaching slip roads etc its far easier for a truck to pull out into the middle than it is too brake to let people ( who often don't look until the last minute) out of slip roads.
Having gassed all that, the majority of truckers are bikers anyway and I for one always keep a special eye out. Having said that I nearly creamed a bike the other day, idiot decided to filter between the inside lane and the middle...I was in the middle letting traffic out.
Hey JP great post and it will definitely be good for people to realise how easily motorcyclists go out of view of car / lorry drivers etc. My thread was with regards to a driver who didn't indicate and pulled in on me nearly knocking me off my bike. Sometimes drivers like riders can forget simple things which can cause danger to others. As long as we riders do the best we can to stay safe that's the main thing.
I'm not preaching when I say this but just keep reminding car drivers when riding as a passenger or speaking with friends to check their blind spots. I have nagged my family and friends when in the car and they now realise the importance of blind spots and how easily it is to forgot that a biker could be next to them passing.
MBW & Dunans you are both very, very cheeky laddies . Both of you are not to old for smacked legs lol Dunans you are just secretly desperate for another seat on my bike
We should also bear in mind this advice applies to coaches and buses as well, doing a bit of coach driving in my free time i'm always aware of what's behind me that i can't see in my mirrors but suffer from the usual problem that we as motorcyclist don't always make ourselves visable to certain types of vehicle drivers.
That's a great point Dumass! Anything that has a wide load, or long load is definitely one to try and pass as quickly as possible. I saw this horrendous thing in France once where there was a motorbike underneath this lorry on the motorway! Not a pleasant sight that's for sure.
BOBKAT.....not too old for a spanked bottom! I hope not either! he-he
Wide loads
If you come across a wide load under police escort or there own escort only pass if you are sure the escort vehical knows you are passing or has called you passed in most cases thay are talking to the driver via 2 way and will have let him/her know you are there.
But please dont think you can beat him into a gap you may not know this but most heavy load drivers cant make an emergency stop as the chains will probley snap same as buses dont make them due to passenger claims are higher than damage to vehicals
RustyKnight In: Newton Aycliffe
Posts: 2462
Karma:
jp maybe you can answer these questions from experience?
Why do trucks insist on overtaking when they know it will take them 10 mins to get back in lane and all they've gained is 1mph?
Why doesn't the truck being overtaken slow down a little when he realises the passing truck is struggling to get past?
Why do they suddenly pull out at 56mph knowing the traffic in the outside lane is doing at least 70, causing everyone to brake?
All of the above creates a huge tailback and i've asked other truckers who've said they have a busy schedule to keep so it's important to keep on the gas. To gain a couple of miles per hour over an 8 hour shift would give them an extra 16 miles assuming they've taken no breaks and not had to slow down at all.
I towed a caravan for years that was eventually wiped out by a trucker and I wouldn't have dreamt of driving with such a lack of consideration for other road users. I'm a little biased but in my opinion truckers are the worst drivers on the road and it's about time the test was toughened up to get rid of the nuggats! I'm not saying every trucker, just the majority!!
I've got a mate who drives a wagon and drag and he's worked nights for 15 years as he's in total agreement with all of the above!
I cant say why some drivers are dickheads, but as you well know they are out there but you are wrong when you say they are the worst on the road that belongs with the bus driver. Since they put in the highway code to let busses out, they stopped using their mirrors. Yes again its only the few that are bad and I will get stick for this post. Unless you have driven a truck and all that goes on it's hard to explain. It's all down to kinetic energy, the biggest problem with the test is the Eastern European testing - you take your test there on a farm tractor then you're a heavy goods driver
RustyKnight In: Newton Aycliffe
Posts: 2462
Karma:
Well fortunately if you're saying they're worse there's not many bus drivers out on the open road but my 30 mile trip to work and back every day brings me in contact with plenty of dick heads driving trucks!
Is kinetic energy another way of saying can't be arsed to use the brakes and gearbox??
Funny enough it was a Polish trucker that wiped me out but the British Army are just as good with their cheap and cheerful training. My son holds a class 1 and says himself he wouldn't dream of taking one out on the road, how crazy is that!!!!
The test should include basic maths such as 8 hours x 1mph - breaks and stoppage = 0 so engage brain, consider other road users and stop being a complete sh*t for brains!!
Think there are d*ckheads in every class of road user :
Truckers who are too ignorant to ease off the gas a little, to let another truck by ; car drivers who hog motorway lanes for miles on end ; bus drivers who don't signal to stop, but then indicate to pull out eons before they're ready ; cyclists who don't believe the highway code applies to them ; horse riders who think it's fine to ride two-abreast down country lanes ; s'pose there might even be the odd d*ckhead around on a motorcycle
Point is, it's always the bad guys who'll be remembered.
Point is, it's always the bad guys who'll be remembered.
That's it isn't it. You don't remember the hundreds of lorries that you pass, you just remember the one that holds you up for ten minutes while he overtakes another lorry.
I wouldn't say that lorry or bus drivers are the worst anyway, I think that honour belongs to Mercedes drivers, closely followed by Audi and BMW drivers.
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