Solo vanners... driving on the wrong side of the road...

delicagirl

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Hi last year i went to France for a couple of months and drove on the wrong side of the road for the first time in decades. I knew as soon as i landed at Cherbourg that i was utterly terrified and i dont know what stopped me getting back on the ferry and going to Eire instead.. but i didn't. i set my satnav to no motorways and as i didn't have a deadline to get home for, i really enjoyed pootling about France on smaller roads. i did once accidentally end up on a motorway and could feel my heart thumping like a maniac.

what i am afraid of is joining motorways at an acute angle at a highish speed, without anohter pair of eyes to assist me.

Since last years trip i have added another rear view camera which was fitted at a very low level - but is wide angle is only really useful to see someone immediateley behind me. My habitation area and cab are fairly high (from my perspective - this is my first van) and there is definitely a significant blind spot in the middle of the cab when i am at an obtuse angle approaching a motorway.

normally i am a very confident driver and have driven the van up and some some insane roads, its just this lack of vision that causes me great fear.

i have 2 long wing mirrors one rear view mirror (i can only see lorries behind me) and 2 rear view camera screens....

i dont know how to best use them for joining a Mway...

How do other solo travellers do this ?
 
Don't know about joining a motorway and seeing behind or to the side but have heard of people putting another camera in the front passenger side windscreen so they can see to overtake. :wave:
 
Driving a x250 my primary visual aide are door mirrors, they are large and bottom one is wide angle, this and being electrically adjusted plus getting up to speed asap means I rarely need help.
p.s. where I can struggle is roundabouts, but then I have gf to help. when driving a panelvan single handed I had a second interior mirror suction mounted just to left of standard mirror and angled out the passenger side window.
 
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I find it a bit scary sometimes Collette but managed so far. My van is smaller than yours which helps.
 
delicagirl said:
Hi last year i went to France for a couple of months and drove on the wrong side of the road for the first time in decades. I knew as soon as i landed at Cherbourg that i was utterly terrified and i dont know what stopped me getting back on the ferry and going to Eire instead.. but i didn't. i set my satnav to no motorways and as i didn't have a deadline to get home for, i really enjoyed pootling about France on smaller roads. i did once accidentally end up on a motorway and could feel my heart thumping like a maniac.

what i am afraid of is joining motorways at an acute angle at a highish speed, without anohter pair of eyes to assist me.

Since last years trip i have added another rear view camera which was fitted at a very low level - but is wide angle is only really useful to see someone immediateley behind me. My habitation area and cab are fairly high (from my perspective - this is my first van) and there is definitely a significant blind spot in the middle of the cab when i am at an obtuse angle approaching a motorway.

normally i am a very confident driver and have driven the van up and some some insane roads, its just this lack of vision that causes me great fear.

i have 2 long wing mirrors one rear view mirror (i can only see lorries behind me) and 2 rear view camera screens....

i dont know how to best use them for joining a Mway...

How do other solo travellers do this ?
Click to expand...

dont use m,ways . use only minor roads . thats how you see the country you are in.
hug the kerb .
best if in a rh drive van to have a window on the left handside behind the front door .
as you get older you might get more childish like me .
as a class 1 truck driver i now cant use m,ways . toll roads ,avoid dual carriageways ,
as children arent allowed to play on busy roads.
but use minor roads smile at the locals . thats how you find good places to stop, empty toilets , fill with water etc .
local folk can be very helpful.
 
You could always get a second person to site on the blind side to help,im told there is a nice chap around glengormley that offers his services.:dance:
 
delicagirl said:
Hi last year i went to France for a couple of months and drove on the wrong side of the road for the first time in decades. I knew as soon as i landed at Cherbourg that i was utterly terrified and i dont know what stopped me getting back on the ferry and going to Eire instead.. but i didn't. i set my satnav to no motorways and as i didn't have a deadline to get home for, i really enjoyed pootling about France on smaller roads. i did once accidentally end up on a motorway and could feel my heart thumping like a maniac.

what i am afraid of is joining motorways at an acute angle at a highish speed, without anohter pair of eyes to assist me.

Since last years trip i have added another rear view camera which was fitted at a very low level - but is wide angle is only really useful to see someone immediateley behind me. My habitation area and cab are fairly high (from my perspective - this is my first van) and there is definitely a significant blind spot in the middle of the cab when i am at an obtuse angle approaching a motorway.

normally i am a very confident driver and have driven the van up and some some insane roads, its just this lack of vision that causes me great fear.

i have 2 long wing mirrors one rear view mirror (i can only see lorries behind me) and 2 rear view camera screens....

i dont know how to best use them for joining a Mway...

How do other solo travellers do this ?
Click to expand...
Btw, Collette, something someone suggested I do when driving on the right is have the left side mirror further out than it usually is to give a better view of the road.
 
You could mount a small cam on mirror leg at angle and connect to screen inside,simple to do job.
 
colinmd said:
Driving a x250 my primary visual aide are door mirrors, they are large and bottom one is wide angle, this and being electrically adjusted plus getting up to speed asap means I rarely need help.
p.s. where I can struggle is roundabouts, but then I have gf to help. when driving a panelvan single handed I had a second interior mirror suction mounted just to left of standard mirror and angled out the passenger side window.
Click to expand...

colin this suction device sounds interesting as i could remove it and change the angle for left/right hand driving.... do you have a link to such a product please? thanks
 
vwalan said:
dont use m,ways . use only minor roads . thats how you see the country you are in.
hug the kerb .
best if in a rh drive van to have a window on the left handside behind the front door .
as you get older you might get more childish like me .
as a class 1 truck driver i now cant use m,ways . toll roads ,avoid dual carriageways ,
as children arent allowed to play on busy roads.
but use minor roads smile at the locals . thats how you find good places to stop, empty toilets , fill with water etc .
local folk can be very helpful.
Click to expand...

i almost never use Mways alan - thats how i find interesting little villages - but if i want to drive a long distance in a shorter time having confidence to use the motorways would be useful. ...
 
rear view camera

I have a high level camera on at all times. It helps. Had a near miss recently in the UK. Just on the Mway I was attempting to move towards the outside lane.Despite wing mirrors set at varying layers and camera I missed a hot hatch that must have followed me to the M. No idea how I missed his overtake move. Take ultra care.
 
JackieA said:
I have a high level camera on at all times. It helps. Had a near miss recently in the UK. Just on the Mway I was attempting to move towards the outside lane.Despite wing mirrors set at varying layers and camera I missed a hot hatch that must have followed me to the M. No idea how I missed his overtake move. Take ultra care.
Click to expand...


where have you mounted your camera Jackie?
 
delicagirl said:
colin this suction device sounds interesting as i could remove it and change the angle for left/right hand driving.... do you have a link to such a product please? thanks
Click to expand...

mine came from Halfords many years ago, I guess this is the up to date version. Summit Suction Car Mirror

If you google 'suction mount rear view mirror' you will see quite a few.
 
trevskoda said:
You could always get a second person to site on the blind side to help,im told there is a nice chap around glengormley that offers his services.:dance:
Click to expand...



If it`s who i`m thinking of he`s a right dodgy geezer :scared: :lol-049: :lol-049:
 
***** said:
From a truckies point of view, it is all about getting your mirrors set up properly.
When I was trucking, I would have the normal mirror set so that I could just see my own truck and most of the view was further out. The wide angle was set to view from where the normal mirror view stopped.
This would enable me to reverse an artic blind side around a 90 degree road junction.
I might have needed to move my head and lean a little in some extreme circumstances.
For me, I had and still do in my M/H have a full view when joining a M Way or similar and it is more difficult when joining at about 45 degree or more!
Click to expand...

yes i have similer on my mitzy.
shame m,homes etc have gone away from door mounted frames to put good mirrors on.
i use a long one (up.down) for close views and a wide angle above that looks all over the side and back wards.
i find the wide angle not as accurate for reversing but it lets you see movement of others etc.
might be an idea for some to visit a truck garage and have a sit in some of the trucks if only to see how good mirrors can be.
 
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