Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
I was going to bung this in Commuting, but figured everyone should see it, commuter or leisure rider, and especially newbies...
I was at the York Rally on Saturday, and a local haulage company had an HGV set up for people to see what the view was like from the cab. It was set as if just turning left, the cab at a slight angle to the trailer. It was the latest type, equipped with two wing mirrors on each door (one normal, one wide angle), one downward mirror on the nearside door, and one facing down the front of the cab. Plus a reversing camera.
Now, I've driven up to 7.5 tonnes, so I reckoned I have a pretty good idea of the problems of blindspots. I'm always very cautious around larger vehicles, and won't pass anything much bigger than a Transit in traffic queues unless I'm very clear that the traffic isn't moving off for some time (like I know the light sequences and so on).
Anyway, I went for a look in the cab, mainly coz I've never been in one and fancied seeing what it was like. And the view in the mirrors pretty much confirmed what I thought I knew. Yes, with all those mirrors, you can just about see most of a number of bikes placed around the lorry alongside the trailer and cab (by which I mean you can see all of the bikes, but in some cases only parts of them - like a single wheel). But you have to look carefully, and for some time. By the time you've looked in all of them, enough time has passed for someone to creep up on you.
The thing I hadn't really been aware of, never having driven an artic, is how much the trailer blocks your view when turning. The offside mirrors showed nothing but the front face of the trailer. The rear wheels of the tractor unit stuck out some way beyond the side of the trailer. So, even overtaking on the right, you're invisible, and at risk as the tractor swings left. Plus of course, to turn left, any long vehicle needs to swing out to the right. The nearside mirrors mostly showed the side of the trailer. The reversing camera was purely to avoid backing into a wall, it had a narrow view, and poor depth definition.
Added to the rearview issues, the mirror themselves created blindspots to the side of the front, which required a lot of body movement to see round.
So basically: keep away from big trucks. Don't pass them on either side unless you are certain they are not going to move until you are past, and frankly, it's not worth the risk. Even non-artics will need a lot space to turn. In any doubt, just wait behind them. Just because you can fit down the side and filter to the front, doesn't mean you have to. Wait for the lorry to get clear, and you'll still probably be faster through town than the cars around you.
I know there are some rogue drivers out there, and that cyclists have been killed by lorries that drew up alongside them and left hooked them, rather than the cyclists putting themselves in danger. For those cases, only better drivers can help, and decent punishments might get the message across.
I know that some people think you can eliminate blind spots with lots of mirrors and cameras. But the human eye and mind can only take in so much at once, and by the time you've looked in every mirror, properly, 10 or 15 seconds has passed. Add in dark, rain, muck on the mirrors and you have to look for much longer.
So really. Think, and take care, and if you ever get the chance to sit in one of these set up cabs, do it.
I was at the York Rally on Saturday, and a local haulage company had an HGV set up for people to see what the view was like from the cab. It was set as if just turning left, the cab at a slight angle to the trailer. It was the latest type, equipped with two wing mirrors on each door (one normal, one wide angle), one downward mirror on the nearside door, and one facing down the front of the cab. Plus a reversing camera.
Now, I've driven up to 7.5 tonnes, so I reckoned I have a pretty good idea of the problems of blindspots. I'm always very cautious around larger vehicles, and won't pass anything much bigger than a Transit in traffic queues unless I'm very clear that the traffic isn't moving off for some time (like I know the light sequences and so on).
Anyway, I went for a look in the cab, mainly coz I've never been in one and fancied seeing what it was like. And the view in the mirrors pretty much confirmed what I thought I knew. Yes, with all those mirrors, you can just about see most of a number of bikes placed around the lorry alongside the trailer and cab (by which I mean you can see all of the bikes, but in some cases only parts of them - like a single wheel). But you have to look carefully, and for some time. By the time you've looked in all of them, enough time has passed for someone to creep up on you.
The thing I hadn't really been aware of, never having driven an artic, is how much the trailer blocks your view when turning. The offside mirrors showed nothing but the front face of the trailer. The rear wheels of the tractor unit stuck out some way beyond the side of the trailer. So, even overtaking on the right, you're invisible, and at risk as the tractor swings left. Plus of course, to turn left, any long vehicle needs to swing out to the right. The nearside mirrors mostly showed the side of the trailer. The reversing camera was purely to avoid backing into a wall, it had a narrow view, and poor depth definition.
Added to the rearview issues, the mirror themselves created blindspots to the side of the front, which required a lot of body movement to see round.
So basically: keep away from big trucks. Don't pass them on either side unless you are certain they are not going to move until you are past, and frankly, it's not worth the risk. Even non-artics will need a lot space to turn. In any doubt, just wait behind them. Just because you can fit down the side and filter to the front, doesn't mean you have to. Wait for the lorry to get clear, and you'll still probably be faster through town than the cars around you.
I know there are some rogue drivers out there, and that cyclists have been killed by lorries that drew up alongside them and left hooked them, rather than the cyclists putting themselves in danger. For those cases, only better drivers can help, and decent punishments might get the message across.
I know that some people think you can eliminate blind spots with lots of mirrors and cameras. But the human eye and mind can only take in so much at once, and by the time you've looked in every mirror, properly, 10 or 15 seconds has passed. Add in dark, rain, muck on the mirrors and you have to look for much longer.
So really. Think, and take care, and if you ever get the chance to sit in one of these set up cabs, do it.
