Dopey driver, hope the cylist's on the mend

[markemark]

On a bike eye contact bizarrely works pretty well. Not something always achievable but plenty of times is possible.

I say bizarre but fully understand the science behind it. It’s just that I never would have thought it could make such a difference.

 

[briantrumpet]

A motorcycle instructor told me that very thing. Someone can literally not see you. Spooked me tbh. It's why I will sometimes weave a little approaching a junction, just to disturb the waiting driver's plane of perception. Kinda like shouting 'hey, I'm here'

On a (push) bike, it's still an issue (ever seen a pedestrian looking through/past you?) but you at least have more time to react/stop if needed.

Exactly so. Never stay near the kerb near a junction - that also gives you more chance of an escape route if a car turns across your path from the opposite direction. The actual moving across is the most useful bit, but also by being in a place in the road that is not 'expected' for bikes helps break the perceptive blindness.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Well, as I said the driver was coming out of a side road that has an entrance to my work place: I work in a hospital, really do hope the driver wasn't staff!

When I was learning to drive, my Dad told me to always be careful approaching cemeteries and hospitals

you never know what the driver has on their mind coming out of those places

I used to drive past Landican cemetery on the Wirral a lot when I lived around there - and I saw quite a few people come out of there ina way that suggested they had something on their mind other than driving
(AKA making an application to go right back in!)

 

[briantrumpet]

That doesn't look the greatest - though that is the petrol version.

Given that, the sight-lines appear to be a design choice, rather than anything to do with the EV-ness. I'd genuinely be interested to know how much of the road in front of the car is hidden from the driver's sight, but from this video it looks to be considerable.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Twenty or so years ago, I was driving around an elevated roundabout, signalling left about to leave the roundabout to go into the entrance road to my place of work. In front of me, a (BL) mini drove into the back of the car in front of him, making no attempt to brake. To my left at the give way line of the slip road from the A road, was a Police car. The collided cars in front quickly moved aside, traffic (including myself) continued on its way. As I drove into work, a blue-lighted Police car came up behind and stopped me. The Officer asked me "did you see the collision back there?" My answer: 'Yes, it was directly in front of me - didn't you see it?' His reaction "No, we were both looking at the floor"
beggers belief. They took on board my description and said they may have to formalise it in future to use me as a witness - I never heard again,

 

[Dadam]

His reaction "No, we were both looking at the floor"

Dropped their bag of doughnuts?

 

[matticus]

And twice already this week, I've seen parcel couriers driving old VW Passat estates rammed with parcels from the tailgate to the passenger side dash board, right up to the headlining, the only windows the driver could see out of was the drivers side door window & windscreen, every other piece of glass was blocked by parcels

These people are genuine menaces.

It's the 4-wheeled version of e-motorcycle food delivery.

 

[matticus]

Twenty or so years ago, I was driving around an elevated roundabout, signalling left about to leave the roundabout to go into the entrance road to my place of work. In front of me, a (BL) mini drove into the back of the car in front of him, making no attempt to brake. To my left at the give way line of the slip road from the A road, was a Police car. The collided cars in front quickly moved aside, traffic (including myself) continued on its way. As I drove into work, a blue-lighted Police car came up behind and stopped me. The Officer asked me "did you see the collision back there?" My answer: 'Yes, it was directly in front of me - didn't you see it?' His reaction "No, we were both looking at the floor" beggers belief. They took on board my description and said they may have to formalise it in future to use me as a witness - I never heard again,

I'd rather they were honest, good for them.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Drivers will use an old excuse as to why they didn’t see something. Most of the time, it’s because they weren’t looking.

 

[mjr]

Given that, the sight-lines appear to be a design choice, rather than anything to do with the EV-ness. I'd genuinely be interested to know how much of the road in front of the car is hidden from the driver's sight, but from this video it looks to be considerable.

Is that one of those American "Light Trucks" which are technically not cars, so get away with far worse safety ratings?

 

[briantrumpet]

Is that one of those American "Light Trucks" which are technically not cars, so get away with far worse safety ratings?

I don't think so... just a very badly designed minibus pretending to be a car.