How big is a truck blind spot?

Dale_tem said:
Driving on average 25,000 motorway miles a year for the last 12 years, I have seen my fair share of lorry drivers due to the number I have passed over the years. I will admit they driver better while texting then any other driver. They should however know better.

How many lorry drivers driving does a lorry driver if a lorry driver could drive lorries (couldn't resist the wood chuck bit)

How many lorry drivers driving does a lorry driver see during along the motorway during his average day? Not many as they all drive the same speed and only when the pass one at a different speed can they see what the other driver is doing? So is a lorry driver a fair judge of other lorry drivers habits? I have learn't not to presume everyone is the same as me. I see that plenty of bad driving from all drivers, not keeping left, not keeping a constant speed, not getting into the left hand lane before the exit, not wearing seatbelts, oblivious to other road users, texting while driving, map reading while driving and reading while driving. It gets even worse at the weekend!
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lol

You so right, its the same across the board, even us motorcyclists ....But yeah you can almost guarantee some types, like when your eventually forced to undertake the driver doing 50/60 in the empty motorways fast lane, they will be on the phone...which explains why they didn't notice my gentle 'Erm hello' flashes ..I should know better by now!!
 
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phil8139 said:
Another point to add is that the mirrors could be slightly wider and that is my preference for driving. I usually know the colour of the cab so have little need to check it every time I use the mirrors. Also, this is a narrow cab truck and that means the mirrors show the flared sides at the rear of the cab.
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The mirrors also seemed quite poorly adjusted - half (or more) was just reflecting the cab?
 
The video was definitely made to hammer a point home.

However even knowing lorries can have much better visibility, it is still better to (where possible) try to avoid the areas which the driver must rely entirely on mirrors to see.
 
As an now ex - london bus driver for 8 years (also drove the bendys) .... it used to amaze me at the continual stupidity of almost every road user (walkers, push bikes, motorcyclists, car drivers, van drivers etc, etc, etc) with their willingness to commit mortal harm.
My bus was hit at all over, front - head on - said he didn't see me !!!!, both sides, had another car go into the back of the bus at 35mph whilst stopped at a stop picking up passengers - said I stopped too quick !!!!
People (especially in the little boxes) just are not interested in driving & PAYING ATTENTION. - & that sadly is what will keep you alive.
Everyone makes mistakes, the trick is when you make them that the consequences are not fatal. If you can't pay attention - don't ride.
 
Diving Pete said:
People (especially in the little boxes) just are not interested in driving & PAYING ATTENTION.
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Unfortunately, modern cars are too comfortable with nice seats and heating/air conditioning and music so you could be relaxing at home instead of driving and they have safety features like air bags and ABS which make people complacent.

If cars were very basic metal boxes with hard bench seats, no music, no power steering (really, who needs that on something as small as a car?) and manual gearboxes I think there would be a lot fewer accidents from inattention.


Steve.
 
Secondary problem here in London is the position of bus stops which are designed to aid the flow of the bus at the expense of all other road users, unfortunately this leaves a huge side effect of frustrated congestion for all the traffic following. Generally perhaps i can say, my journey times double because of bus stop positioning. I also find many... (Not Pete above though ;) ) ...bus drivers drive in a manner where their own progress is deemed more important than sharing the road space with all the other traffic, as the highway code suggest! This again leads to frustration and worse triggers belligerence in those following.
 
hey - I'm also a motor cycle & car driver.... Believe me, I believe that roads should be designed to make the traffic move faster - no speed humps & traffic calming crap that all it does is fustrate people.
Reality is people don't want to accept that if they:

walk in the road they will get run down.
cycle in the outside lane they will die.
jump a red light they will die.
go left from a right hand lane - they will crash..
drive at 3 times the speed of other users they will annoy a lot of people....

etc, etc.

I'm so glad I don't drive for a living anymore.
 
Forbiddenbiker said:
bus drivers drive in a manner where their own progress is deemed more important than sharing the road space with all the other traffic
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Indicate... count to five... pull out - A method an ex London bus driver told me that most of them used in the 1980s!


Steve.
 
[quote="Steve Smith, post: 5977245, A method an ex London bus driver told me that most of them used in the 1980s! Steve.[/quote]

In the 60's, 70's too
The 90's got you to 3,
00's to 1 & now you are lucky if they indicate....
 
Yeah I bet, I can almost imagine the morning pep talk; To minimise the amount of effort exerted and maximise our transport figures we must maintain our arrogance on the road at all times ..blah blah, safety of passengers excuse, blah blah, big vehicle excuse...blah blah ..its not an easy job you know! lol

Diving Pete said:
hey - I'm also a motor cycle & car driver.... Believe me, I believe that roads should be designed to make the traffic move faster - no speed humps & traffic calming crap that all it does is fustrate people.
Reality is people don't want to accept that if they:

walk in the road they will get run down.
cycle in the outside lane they will die.
jump a red light they will die.
go left from a right hand lane - they will crash..
drive at 3 times the speed of other users they will annoy a lot of people....

etc, etc.

I'm so glad I don't drive for a living anymore.
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:D Hey I did exclude you... and yes I believe you. Reality is many road user don't follow the highway code, as you say.
 
Can't remember who it was that first suggested a road safety measure that stuck a sharpened spike in the middle of the steering wheel, aimed at the driver's heart and almost touching. Wouldn't have made many crashes survivable but would reduce the number of crashes significantly! IIRC, the introduction of seatbelts reduced fatalities hugely but increased the likelihood of an "accident" occurring.
 
We discussed the spike on the steering wheel deterrent when I was doing an advanced driving course...28 years ago!

("We" as in the instructor and others on the course, not Nod and I!)
 
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As I've said before, I love riding across Dartmoor lidless. So much more in tune with the surroundings and aware of everything. With a blanket 40 MPH limit on the moor (that's fairly well observed by most), it's safer than riding in town in full armoured leathers!
 
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