blindspots on trucks

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Comments

  • lotus49
    lotus49 Posts: 763
    Peat wrote:
    Debeli wrote:
    There are certainly some very poor HGV drivers around, but most are excellent. Likewise, there are some brain-free cyclists, but most are good. .

    Perhaps controversial around here, but i would say there were more 'bad' cyclists (%) than bad lorry/bus drivers. They are professional drivers, have attained a license standard and are under constant surveillance whoch makes them easily identifiable.
    I would completely agree with this.

    In general I think the standard of lorry driving in this country is very good. It's much better than the standard of car driving. Lorry drivers are mostly experienced and well trained.

    The situation is very different with cyclists, especially in big cities. Most cyclists have had no training at all (except for that given by their father when they were five). The standard of cycling in London in particular is terrible with numerous cyclists ignoring almost every rule in the Highway Code.

    The fact is that it is dangerous to undertake. It's especially dangerous to undertake a large vehicle with limited all round visibility.
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    These blindspots are being over-played. If the right mirrors are in place then a HGV driver can see most of what is around him when going straight on - the exception is on turning artics, but surely the driver should check before starting the turn (and should be indicating well in advance)? The real issue seems to be that the drivers simply can't process all the information sufficiently to keep an eye on everything. Perhaps they should be required to have co-drivers in urban environments, or be limited to slower speeds when turning.

    I really don't get all the cr*p about "untrained, unlicensed" cyclists in London. The majority probably hold driving licenses for a start, and in any event there seems to be a vanishingly small incidence of cyclists actually causing harm to others (despite the fact that every reader of the Daily Mail has "almost" been run over by a cyclist).
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    BigMat wrote:
    (despite the fact that every reader of the Daily Mail has "almost" been run over by a cyclist).

    That made me laugh! Anyway, they're just jealous 'cos they're too fat and unfit to cycle, so they have to sit stuck in traffic in a car getting frustrated or squeeze onto a tube/train and sniff someone's armpit.

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