Lorry and maybe motorhome blind spot regulations

[RV2MAX]

On my 12 mtr RV had all round cameras , and dual mirrors both sides , a sign on rear saying do not overtake turning vehicle , and drive to dominate road eg sit astride both lanes at tight junctions . Morons on bikes and cars still try and come past , and then get scared to death when they find that they end up in a very quickly narrowing path to drive on . Hope they learn from the experience .

 

[CarlandHels]

Lets be honest..

When it comes to using the roads with any vehicle all you need is the one lacking thing a lot of people seem to be missing.. COMMON SENSE!

I have been a tractor and trailer driver, truck driver, motorcyclist, car driver and now only have a motorhome and over the years things have got so much worse. Maybe it's just down to the volume of traffic on the roads now, maybe everyone is always in a rush, but the main things that are missing are patience, general thought for others and as said above common sense!

A lot of cyclist (Not saying them all) have no common sense, they undertake, they ride 2 & 3 sometimes more side by side, even on the country lanes round the blind bends, through red lights etc etc.
Now the bit I don't understand is simple, most of these folk will also drive, so do they drive like morons too? (are these the undertakers) lol
Surely when they're sat in their motors and get undertaken by idiots on bikes or by doing 40/50mph on a country road and find these guys spread across the road riding along chatting without a care/thought for anyone else, do they not got annoyed by the same fact we do?

All the blindspot gadgets in the world wont always help, I thinks it's just another way for insurance companies to gain a loop hole so they don't need to pay out to be honest.

You just need to travel down the A1 south where it splits to the M1 and see how many folk undertake, cut you up, so they can keep on the A1. it's a scary section of road and all down to the things I said above. To be fair if they do bring in all blindspot cameras they should be used to prosecute the idiots that are clearly breaking the laws of the roads and not the innocent drivers of the larger trucks etc...

Lets fetch some common sense back onto our roads and we wouldn't need gadgets for blindspots, cars that can brake for themselves etc etc, we could actually have drivers out there that really do drive and care. Oh the roads would be such a happy place to be....

Sorry waffling over... Have a great day

 

[Tbear]

When it comes to using the roads with any vehicle all you need is the one lacking thing a lot of people seem to be missing.. COMMON SENSE!

I have been a tractor and trailer driver, truck driver, motorcyclist, car driver and now only have a motorhome and over the years things have got so much worse. Maybe it's just down to the volume of traffic on the roads now, maybe everyone is always in a rush, but the main things that are missing are patience, general thought for others and as said above common sense!

A lot of cyclist (Not saying them all) have no common sense, they undertake, they ride 2 & 3 sometimes more side by side, even on the country lanes round the blind bends, through red lights etc etc.
Now the bit I don't understand is simple, most of these folk will also drive, so do they drive like morons too? (are these the undertakers) lol
Surely when they're sat in their motors and get undertaken by idiots on bikes or by doing 40/50mph on a country road and find these guys spread across the road riding along chatting without a care/thought for anyone else, do they not got annoyed by the same fact we do?

All the blindspot gadgets in the world wont always help, I thinks it's just another way for insurance companies to gain a loop hole so they don't need to pay out to be honest.

You just need to travel down the A1 south where it splits to the M1 and see how many folk undertake, cut you up, so they can keep on the A1. it's a scary section of road and all down to the things I said above. To be fair if they do bring in all blindspot cameras they should be used to prosecute the idiots that are clearly breaking the laws of the roads and not the innocent drivers of the larger trucks etc...

Lets fetch some common sense back onto our roads and we wouldn't need gadgets for blindspots, cars that can brake for themselves etc etc, we could actually have drivers out there that really do drive and care. Oh the roads would be such a happy place to be....

Sorry waffling over... Have a great day

This is not something I do as it scares the hell out of me but it is accepted and legal practise. Many motorists need to realise that just because they don't like it, does not mean that cyclists and horses don't have a legal right to use the whole lane and not just the gutter. If its a blind bend you should be going slow enough to avoid an stationary obstruction so a cyclist travelling at 15mph away from you should not be a problem. Cyclists have to dodge potholes and road furniture which requires sudden sideways movement so you need to give them space. If you are going past them you are overtaking a vehicle so should not do so unless it is safe. I am about to go out on a two hour ride during which I can guarantee that a dozen vehicles will overtake me at speed leaving less than a foot gap. If I indicate a right turn at that moment I loose my lower arm!

Cyclists that shoot through red lights should be shot!

Richard

 

[antiquesam]

Why are we urged to have more cycle routes? We have a cycle path adjacent to one of the three roads into Portsmouth. The road is fast and dangerous, but the lycra brigade seem to want to dice with death rather than use the £250,000 cycleway.
As a rambler it would be nice if cyclists treated walkers as courteously as they expect to be treated by motorists.

 

[caledonia]

I give cyclists the same room as I would give a car but road cyclists don’t abide to the same rule when they ride two abreast, you wouldn’t drive two abreast in a car. Road cyclists are a different breed to mountain bikers. I have a bell on my bike which surprises a lot of walkers but it’s useless when they have music blaring in their ears. Every bike sold must be supplied with a bell and reflectors by law.

 

[mark61]

Cyclist ride two or more abreast because it's safer. Motorist have to overtake them properly, rather than squeezing past and pushing them in the verge.

 

[GreggBear]

My experience of driving a 7.5t lorry with two sets of wing mirrors, a downward mirror on the top of the nearside door and a downward facing mirror above the windscreen I didn't have time to look through the windscreen. I would imagine any new regs would only apply to new vehicles over 7.5t.

And why should it only apply to vehicles over 7.5t? Many drivers of smaller vehicles should never be allowed on the roads. HGV drivers in general go through far stricter training/testing than small vehicle drivers. A lot of cyclists seem to have a death wish riding through red lights & on footpaths & generally showing no consideration for anyone else, be it drivers or pedestrians. Yet when they do come to greif it's usually down to "that blind tosser" driving that big truck! I've had cars pull onto motorways without even seeing the 44tonner that's trapped in the left hand lane by passing traffic. Usually, after either s******g themselves they either carry on as if they still haven't seen me or blow the horn at me as if it was all my fault! Strangely enough, bus drivers never seem to get much flack.

 

[GreggBear]

The technology is there to have blind spot warnings for the driver without the need for cameras all round and screens. You don't need to actually see what it in in your blind spot in order to take action; you just need to know there is a potential 'thing' there and take appropriate action (which is probably to take NO action in fact)


I have "blind spot" warning lights that illuminate in my door mirrors that are a warning that there is 'something' there coming alongside me that I probably can't see in the mirror.
I am sure if this technology can be fitted in a Vauxhall Corsa, it can be fitted in vehicles costing a hell of a lot more!

Maybe it's because of this kind of new technology that new drivers don't seem to have the same level of skill that older drivers do? Too much tech can lead people to feel they don't have to try as hard.

 

[GreggBear]

I once followed a pair of cyclists doing just that for about one mile on a one way road.
Had they been ridding single, it would have been wide enough to pass and leave a safe distance.

Highway code says cyclists should ride in single file. Funny how that gets ignored by the people who piss & moan about all the other rule breakers....

 

[GreggBear]

While we're on about inconsiderate road users, would this be the time to mention horse riders? No tax/test/insurance, ignoring most rules of the road & lots of them ridden on the public highway by little girls who haven't a hope in he'll of keeping control of 3/4 of a ton of scared meat. Wonder what they would say if my 15yr old son was to take to the road in my van? Also,how come they never seem to get prosecuted for using their mobile phones while snarling up the highway? How much would the average dog owner be fined if they left piles of £$%^ everywhere they went? Answers on a postcard please.....

 

[Nabsim]

When I was driving back and forth to Spain and Portugal, Mrs G used to say that car drivers should, have to spend a few hours with a truck driver before they could sit their test
They just have no idea!

I always used to say you should complete 6 moths on a motorbike before being able to get any other license but it was never popular Graham lol

If they survived that long they should have an inkling on defensive driving

 

[Nabsim]

Well I know I am perfect in all things (koff, koff) but I will admit to not allowing cyclists enough space on occasion. Not sure why it happens but have done it a couple of times in the motorhome, think i have left them plenty but when checking mirrors as I pass its only 18 inches past the end of the bars. I can only think its because the body is wider than the cab. Its something I am aware of though so shouldnt be a problem again.

Thats nothing to do with the topic though which is about all round vision. If I didnt have the extra mirrors for blind spots I would have pulled out on several occasions where it looks clear in main mirror but a car is actually alongside. Frightened me to death first time it happened that you could have a car that close and not see, of course it is a lot lower than my driving position. I think vehicles should be fitted with sufficient mirrors/cameras/technology to be able to see whats around, if the tech isnt there yet then fair enough post warnings but not if it is.

 

[wildebus]

Maybe it's because of this kind of new technology that new drivers don't seem to have the same level of skill that older drivers do? Too much tech can lead people to feel they don't have to try as hard.

you can say the same thing about anything. Drivers don't have to lean over to wind down a window, or put as much effort into turning a corner if they have power steering, anticipate braking better as they have ABS, yadda yadda.

I've heard that kind of thing before and I don't agree. These are all drivers AIDs, not replacement for common sense.

I also don't follow this idea that all Lorry Drivers are some kind of super driver and car drivers are mostly idiots. Lorry Drivers NEED to be better drivers as they could do a hell of a lot more damage with their vehicle driven badly than a car driver could, but I have seen just as many crap Lorry Drivers on the roads as Car Drivers. Way too many of both. I would like to ride my bike into the local town 5 miles away but there is no way I would with the way so many Lorrys drive on the road I would have to go on. They are a bloody menace.

 

[Deleted member 74361]

Thats nothing to do with the topic though which is about all round vision. If I didnt have the extra mirrors for blind spots I would have pulled out on several occasions where it looks clear in main mirror but a car is actually alongside. Frightened me to death first time it happened that you could have a car that close and not see, of course it is a lot lower than my driving position. I think vehicles should be fitted with sufficient mirrors/cameras/technology to be able to see whats around, if the tech isnt there yet then fair enough post warnings but not if it is.

I am uncertain whether when we are discussing 'extra mirrors' that we are talking about parabolic or kerbside mirrors, or both. Kerbside are useful for avoiding objects and certainly bicycles stationary alongside at traffic lights, but not much use for spotting overtaking/undertaking traffic until they are immediately under the mirror. Parabolic mirrors are in my view(pun) essential, and were the first things I added to my MH.

Parabolic mirrors give coverage in two ways which normal wing mirrors do not - firstly, as we are discussing they have a field of downward vision which picks up low vehicles alongside, secondly, they allow 45 degree vision when joining a main road/motorway from an angled slip road. To be effective I think they have to be the type which are about the width of wing mirrors, so neither the small stick-on types, nor maybe the small ones below e.g. Transit mirrors are adequate. I was fortunate to find ones from Merceded that had the same profile as the housing of our main mirrors so just bolted on.


Re Horses

Remember they were on our roads for centuries before cars - i.e. prior, as in priority? Just a thought. Probably none of them needed blinkers before motor cars came along to spook them. When overtaking a horse I do it with minimum revs and get 5m ahead before pulling back in - that usually gets a thank you from the rider.

Geoff

 

[Nabsim]

I am uncertain whether when we are discussing 'extra mirrors' that we are talking about parabolic or kerbside mirrors, or both. Kerbside are useful for avoiding objects and certainly bicycles stationary alongside at traffic lights, but not much use for spotting overtaking/undertaking traffic until they are immediately under the mirror. Parabolic mirrors are in my view(pun) essential, and were the first things I added to my MH.

Parabolic mirrors give coverage in two ways which normal wing mirrors do not - firstly, as we are discussing they have a field of downward vision which picks up low vehicles alongside, secondly, they allow 45 degree vision when joining a main road/motorway from an angled slip road. To be effective I think they have to be the type which are about the width of wing mirrors, so neither the small stick-on types, nor maybe the small ones below e.g. Transit mirrors are adequate. I was fortunate to find ones from Merceded that had the same profile as the housing of our main mirrors so just bolted on.


Re Horses

Remember they were on our roads for centuries before cars - i.e. prior, as in priority? Just a thought. Probably none of them needed blinkers before motor cars came along to spook them. When overtaking a horse I do it with minimum revs and get 5m ahead before pulling back in - that usually gets a thank you from the rider.

Geoff

Sorry Geoff I meant parabolic but couldnt remember the name

Mine too are the Mercedes originals hat are in the same housing as normal mirrors

 

[Tbear]

As an ex Trucker, also a car driver, motorhomer, motorcyclist, scooter ridder and cyclist, there are selfish idiots everywhere and on or in all forms of road transport.:danger:

I have never driven a truck but I have ridden horses on the road so I feel as qualified as you to completely agree with that statement!

Richard

 

[caledonia]

Cyclist ride two or more abreast because it's safer. Motorist have to overtake them properly, rather than squeezing past and pushing them in the verge.

Inconsiderate Road cyclists ride two abreast. Mountain bikers when forced to cycle on the road ride in single file and wave vehicles past when safe to do so. Road cyclists totally ignore other traffic when riding in peleton fashion trying to beat Strava times. Nothing to do with safety.

 

[mark61]

Some mountain bikers are also road cyclists. I've been waved on by road cyclist, maybe because I show some consideration. It's done for safety, it's everything to do with safety.
I am not suggesting there are no ignorant road cyclist, same as any other road user.

 

[caledonia]

Some mountain bikers are also road cyclists. I've been waved on by road cyclist, maybe because I show some consideration. It's done for safety, it's everything to do with safety.
I am not suggesting there are no ignorant road cyclist, same as any other road user.

I’ve just driven down the A85 and on approaching Callendar i met a large tail back and what’s at the front a peleton of cyclists. If they had been in single file cars would be able to get past safely but they prefer to force cars overtaking into the way of oncoming traffic. Nothing safe about that. It’s against the law and very inconsiderate. The highway. Code states you shouldn’t ride 2 abreast on narrow or busy roads and the A85 is both narrow and busy.

 

[mark61]

I’ve just driven down the A85 and on approaching Callendar i met a large tail back and what’s at the front a peleton of cyclists. If they had been in single file cars would be able to get past safely but they prefer to force cars overtaking into the way of oncoming traffic. Nothing safe about that. It’s against the law and very inconsiderate.

It's not against the law to ride two abreast. Yes, sometimes it is inconsiderate.
Don't go bothering to quote the Highway Code, an advisory does not reflect a legal requirement.

So, to sum up, it's done for safety, it's not against the law, and sometimes it is inconsiderate.