Must admit I always put the boot down when passing any sort of truck. I know most of the drivers are good, but even the best driver can miss someone with fairly restrictive mirrors.
Something else that gave me a fright two or three times today driving back down the A1/M1/M62 was when overtaking a truck that indicated to pull out as I about half way passed, but the vehicle behind me flashed the truck out! I'm sitting there hoping the truck has realised I'm there and hasn't taken the flash from behind as an OK to move out...
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I think a lot of people, esp. novice drivers, will happily drive alongside a truck. In my case it took several bad experiences to learn not to. I think this is the sort of thing that new drivers don't realise. (In fact there's quite a few 'obvious' things not taught to new drivers. The fact that a deep puddle will pull the steering to one side is another, but that's off thread.)
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I've been saying it for some time, part of the problem is also the very light power steering lorries have. The wheel is turned and the lorry moves. It used to be that they took about 5 minutes to change lane, you could see it happen, not any more.
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My defensive driving training has taught me loads of things, but three things stick in the mind re lorries
1/Anticipate what they are going to do. Specially artics, the trailer does not follow the same route as the cab - watch it on bends and roundabouts.
2/ Always have an escape route. Dont get boxed in with nowhere to go on motorways
3/IF you cant see the driver of a lorry in his mirrors HE CANT SEE YOU.
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The part of 5th Gear that caught mt eye was the part about reduced tax for company car drivers of classic (over 15 years) cars.
Fancy a rover SD1 for the motorway run anybody ? Or even an early e-class merc.
Time to have a quiet word with the transport manager.
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Aren't trucks something a goods train pulls? I thought they were called lorries, unless you are american.
Hang on, let me look up 'pedant' in the dictionary.
Nick, wizened old git and fogey
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I thought those were called rail cars?...oh well.
Power steering on large road-going cargo vehicles (howzat?)has nothing to do with the problem. All power steering does is make the steering wheel easier to turn, which does help the driver turn the wheel quicker I admit, but at motorway speeds I can't imagine even the most novice HGV driver whipping the steering wheel around in a manner that would take advantage of power steering assitance.
The problem lies with drivers putting themselves in the HGV's blind spot and being large vehicles they do have large blind spots.
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A former colleague of mine was side-swiped by a lhd truck a couple of years ago - it left him very shaken. Personally I try never to drive alongside any artic. In days gone by, I would accelerate to get past a truck quickly - perhaps touching 80mph to minimise the time I was alongside. With the proliferation of speed cameras etc, I will no longer take this risk. Thank goodness I don't drive as much as I used to.
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We always teach 'extra Brownie points' for observing foreign truck plates on the A12 - Harwich and Felixtowe bound/departing.
Even more dangerous when the driver is sitting on the left side!
Matt35.
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The only trucks pulled by a train live on the island of s**or are owned by the fat controller and are troublesome. British trains have "Wagons"
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Good tip about the registration, doesnt always ring true though. I personally find it more indicative to look at the wing mirrors of the lorry. If it has a kerb mirror on the side you're overtaking (ie the right) then the truck IS LHD.
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Sorry RF, but the trucks on the island of s**or are pulled by Engines not trains.
Ian L.
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Curiously enough this morning a colleague witnessed a BMW being side swiped by a lorry . In this case the lorry was swerving to avoid a slow moving maniac who changed lane into his path. Even more curiously only last week a colleague sitting 10 feet away was side swiped by a lorry changing lanes. The passenger side of his nearly new Micra was destroyed. And a few years back someone else in our company was also side swiped. As I mentioned in another thread, I have come close to being side swiped twice, have seen one near miss, and seen one collision taking place.
It does seem to be a serious problem.
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With EU expansion we are set to get many more LHD artics on our roads.Be very aware.
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T Lucas
'With EU expansion we are set to get many more LHD artics on our roads.Be very aware.'
Worth adding - in many years of Channel crossing I was always invited to use the truck drivers restaurant - and was regarded as a wimp as I did not accept the free half litre of wine with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Matt35.
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Curiously enough this morning a colleague witnessed a BMW being side swiped by a lorry . In this case the lorry was swerving to avoid a slow moving maniac who changed lane into his path. Even more curiously only last week a colleague sitting 10 feet away was side swiped by a lorry changing lanes. The passenger side of his nearly new Micra was destroyed. And a few years back someone else in our company was also side swiped. As I mentioned in another thread, I have come close to being side swiped twice, have seen one near miss, and seen one collision taking place. It does seem to be a serious problem.
I\'m not an HGV driver and I think Fifth gear and the associated paranoia that has erupted has been blown out of all proportion.
On motorways 70.2 percent of traffic is composed of cars and motorcycles, only 11.6 percent are heavy goods vehicles and about only half of those the heaviest articulated type
www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/docu...f
Car drivers need to use their eyes more and notice what is going on around them on a motorway, then accidents can be avoided. Don\'t just look at the car in front or 2 cars in front... look as far as you can and if you can\'t see, ease back and give yourself space and time. If two lorries are following each other closely there is a good chance one might indicate right and pull out to overtake the one in front. If a lorry is in lane 1 and a junction is being passed, expect it to try and get into the next lane to allow traffic to join the motorway.
There is no need for a car to overtake an HGV slowly. HGVs are limited to 56 (true) mph and are only likely to exceed this downhills. Cars aren\'t limited and so can overtake easily and quickly.
I find it quite interesting that since there are more cars and motorcycles than any other type of vehicle on the road and incidentally according to
www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/docu...f
cars are more likely to be speeding by more than 5 mph in urban areas and more than 10 mph in non urban areas than any other kind of vehicle. Because of the sheer number of cars around there are also more likely to be involved in an accident. Statistically lorries are far safer than cars. Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me.
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Quite right IanL I stand corrected.
Thomas is an ENGINE - not a Train.
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RF,
No problem.....just had my 3 year old explaining it to me.....I got it wrong when reading to her. Mind you even the (spit) diesels dont get referred to as trains.
Ian L.
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Equally don't forget the point Vicks was making re pedestrians and cyclists.
I know she is a bit of a tiny munchkin but immediately in front of the vehicle on opposite side to the driver is also a blind spot re pedestrians, cyclists and I guess bikers too.
Out of the car we are all pedestrians.
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