HGV mirrors, Not as easy as it looks.

[Brandane]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV-rhiGRFTE

Did the rounds a few years ago. Apart form saving the OP a tenner, its sobering to see things for the driver's point of view.

There you go, @User9609 , it didn't take long!
1. Camera held at crotch height in the driver's cab.
2. Badly adjusted mirrors.
3. Tractor unit and trailer parked at an angle.
4. No convex blind spot mirror fitted along the top of the passenger side window, facing down, as has been required for years (and more recently a similar mirror for the windscreen).

To summarise - scaremongering nonsense. And yes i have driven artics, 6 years full time and another 4 years as and when i could be bothered up until 18 months ago.

Properly adjusted mirrors and what you SHOULD be able to see from the driver's seat, courtesy of @PeteXXX .

A few similar threads...
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/frightening-truck-safety-video.197648/
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/lorry-blind-spots.220893/
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-an-hgv-sees-of-you.144009/

 

[mjr]

So today I had my fridge freezer delivered it cost me £400 and the guys that delivered it seemed professional as they carried it up the stairs. I asked the driver if I could sit in the driver seat of his stationary HGV Rigid just to look in the mirrors. He agreed (£10 tip) so I sat in the driver seat & had a great view in the mirrors, but there were 6 of them. I briefly take my eyes off the road to look in my one rearview mirror when cycling. How does this guy manage to look at six mirrors while driving at higher speeds then I can ride?

If only there was some way to design lorry cabs so that six mirrors weren't required for so much of the area(!)

(Image from Mercedes-Benz via LCC, showing an Econic cement mixer)

 

[classic33]

If only there was some way to design lorry cabs so that six mirrors weren't required for so much of the area(!)
View attachment 415509
(Image from Mercedes-Benz via LCC, showing an Econic cement mixer)

Mirrors would still be a legal requirement though.

 

[mjr]

You're still going to need mirrors to see a recumbent sneak up your nearside at the lights.

The nearside door on that has windows to the cab floor, so I doubt even a Mike Burrows special could sneak under the viewing angle.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

The nearside door on that has windows to the cab floor, so I doubt even a Mike Burrows special could sneak under the viewing angle.

That only means the driver can see him once he's alongside the door, there's still the length of the lorry to consider and any manoeuvre the driver might make before the rider gets as far as the cab.

 

[Brandane]

The nearside door on that has windows to the cab floor, so I doubt even a Mike Burrows special could sneak under the viewing angle.

You're too quick! I deleted my post once my sloooow phone managed to connect to the LCC link and I saw the pic of the nearside. But as @glasgowcyclist says......

 

[classic33]

The nearside door on that has windows to the cab floor, so I doubt even a Mike Burrows special could sneak under the viewing angle.

You're assuming that the driver has an unobstructed view out that lower panel.

When the left-hand seat is filled/taken the view out is all but gone for the driver. Some local bin wagons are fitted with them, often obstructed by a crew member stood in the doorwell.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

This driver is very competent too!!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX9ZPmQgiZI

 

[I like Skol]

This driver is very competent too!!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX9ZPmQgiZI

You get the impression it is not the first time they have done that, very impressive.

This is slightly off topic but was shown to me a few days ago by my wife and shows the kind of forkwittery that lorry drivers have to put up with! Apologies if this has been shown on cyclechat before and it is obviously not in the UK, but I could easily imagine it could, and probably has, occurred on these shores.....

 

[toffee]

You get the impression it is not the first time they have done that, very impressive.

This is slightly off topic but was shown to me a few days ago by my wife and shows the kind of forkwittery that lorry drivers have to put up with! Apologies if this has been shown on cyclechat before and it is obviously not in the UK, but I could easily imagine it could, and probably has, occurred on these shores.....

 

[Brandane]

Here is one closer to home, on the A90 near Aberdeen. This is a junction I know well from my days of driving lorries to Aberdeen airport. The car driver involved had managed to come down the slip road in the wrong direction.

 

[Drago]

Holy Mary Mother of aTrump! What in the name of Ronald Reagan did the Corsa driver think they were doing?

 

[PeteXXX]

Causing that and just driving away..

 

[I like Skol]

I like how the vid said towards the end that the speed and location cleared the driver of any blame! I didn't think that was even in doubt without the additional info.
Did the corsa driver survive?

 

[Brandane]

Did the corsa driver survive?

She wasn't injured.
She got a 2 year ban and £700 fine according to the BBC report.