UKC

I was surprised at the extent of the lack of vsion a lorry driver has when I saw this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzL0Kyk4m-8&feature=youtu.be

I see a business opportunity for smart cameras here..

In reply to Removed User: Smart mirrors and detectors are part of the Times' campaign for safer cycling.

In reply to Removed User:

technology has been there for years. i genuinely believe the problem is being avoided, i think they choose to put signs on lorries warning of blind spots rather than install cameras and mirrors as a way of trying to shift responsibility onto cyclists

In reply to Removed User: Personally when cycling or on the motorbike I make it a point not to squeeze my self in to the gap between the railings and the 30ton lump of metal that can't see me.
Even if every vehicle came with 360 degree vision and a proximity sensor that warned the driver if anyone was too close I still would not dream of putting myself in a position where I could be squashed.

In reply to Dax H:

In fact, it's in the highway code. For all road users, car, bike and cyclist alike.
It seems to me the cyclists who want to be absolved of responsibility with this particular point.

In reply to Dax H:

having trained as a banksman i can tell you thats only one of several blind spots with lorries, often cyclists don't put themselves in the blind spots they simply get caught in them

In reply to Dax H:

^^^ Yes, in a straight fight the lorry wins

In reply to lost1977:

That is exactly why you should stay away from them

In reply to Removed User: i used to drive a truck identical to that.no cyclist in their right mind would come up inside a truck in that position with its indicator on.
to get into a blind spot you have to travel through a spot where as a driver i would have spotted the cyclist.as a truck driver you will be checking your mirrors as much as looking through the front window.

In reply to Dax H:

how would you advise staying out of the 6ft blind spot at the front (have been nudged on a couple of occasions). to the best of my knowledge a lorry cant overtake a cyclist without them getting caught in a blind spot for a considerable time

In reply to Dax H:

Sorry, but how on earth can you stay out of the blind spot of a vehicle which is passing you?

In reply to lost1977: That does always unnerve me. I'm never comfortable when waiting at lights or a junction a lorry pulls up close behind me, or in a few cases right next to me. I've got off and used pedestrian crossings before when I know the sequence of lights is long enough that a truck could easily have forgotten I was there by the time the light went green, but I'd rather they'd shown some thought when approaching the queue of traffic and just held back.

In reply to Removed User:

there's actually another video i have seen which would scare me more of lorry blind spots, its similar to the one you posted but it shows about 6 cars all around a lorry and they are all invisible to the the driver

In reply to lost1977:

If your at the lights or a lorry is overtaking you then the driver will have seen you as he approached you, (yes some are blind and wont).
Conversely approaching a large vehicle from behind and then trying to slip past it puts you in a position were the driver doesn't know you are there.
Blind spot mirrors help, cameras help, not putting yourself in that situation in the first place helps too.

In reply to Removed User:

As a cyclist and a HGV driver i'm all for this type of education and i know only to well of HGV blindspots, however i do have a couple of problems with this video,

Firstly it seems the camera is being held at chest height in the cab look at the shot of the steering wheel and then the pan round to the window and into mirror that sight line would indicate the driver is a midget as you can barely see over the steering wheel and view to mirror appears level this really doesn't give a good indication of what a driver can see or may not see, also at this camera angle/height it doesn't show that there is a mirror above the passenger window pointing down to the front wheel which may have enough pan to pick up the closet cyclist.

Secondly the position of the wagon at the model junction has been created to make a blind spot, if that artic were to continue at this angle and turn like that it would wipe out all the cyclists and mount kerb crossing the footway, if turned properly it would most probably be just as far from the kerb but heading straight allowing the driver to see cyclists before the time to turn.

Either way its a bad place to be on a bike and i do think more could be done on both sides to educate safety but from watching the video i cant help but feel the first shots aren't giving the whole view so to speak.

In reply to Dax H:

Like the double truck/trailer that overtook me whilst I was cycling home last night, got up beside until I was about level with the middle of his trailer, and then proceeded to turn left. Once I'd worked out what was about to happen (eg I was about to die) I slammed the brakes on and got behind it. Frikkin scary and could have been nasty, all because a lazy a#se lorry driver couldn't be bothered to wait for 10 seconds till I was past the junction. I'm glad he considers 10 seconds more important than my life.