From an HGV perspective video

[hexhome]

........... Does anyone remember the video of the car being pushed along the motorway sideways?

It was a spoof.

I'm not so sure that it was - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... inute.html

It happened to me when a van overtook my articulated fridge lorry loaded with 24 tonnes of rabbit heads, here - http://goo.gl/maps/udT0n . A petrol tanker rounded the bend coming in the opposite direction and the van attempted to pull back to the nearside before it had cleared the front of my tractor unit. I was already braking and was pushing the van sideways for a few metres before it's front wheel clipped the kerb and it was catapulted over the hedge. The driver was fortunately uninjured. The police arrived, seized my tacho charts, breathalysed me, and arranged for interview.

A few minutes later, a car pulled up and the driver asked why I was parked up. It turned out to be my new boss, I had started the day before, who just happened to be passing. He turned out to be a great boss, I was given the rest of the day off and told only to come in the next day if OK with no loss of pay. The other driver admitted his error and fortunately there were no overspeed traces on my tacho charts. I stayed with the company until it closed down a few years later and was very happy there.

[Geriatrix]

Whilst not cycle specific, this video gives a good impression of potential problems when sharing road space with HGVs.

Thanks for that, I think the video should be in the too good to lose section.

[Mick F]

........... Does anyone remember the video of the car being pushed along the motorway sideways?

It was a spoof.

I'm not so sure that it was - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... inute.html

Strange.

This video was linked on here a while back on another thread.
The discussion was that it was a spoof on YouTube.
Sorry, can't remember the thread or when it was, but it was definitely a spoof. It seems it may not be now.

Strange that it was a spoof then .......but true now?

Wot's goin' on?

[661-Pete]

One of the problems with having a discussion in writing (like a forum) is the absence of body language - you can't always express the mood of a post, whether it's serious or whatever. Smileys help - to some extent.

Not all HGV drivers are paragons of excellence, but I take my hat off to the guys I regularly see manoeuvring their artics on and off the cross-channel ferries. Often they have to squeeze through a very tight gap - and reverse long distances even on board ship. I've never yet seen one touch the side of a gangway or a bulkhead.

At the other extreme, on my commute, I have watched - with quiet amusement - an artic driver 'lose it' trying to reverse into a goods yard from the road. He didn't get it in line the first time, and every corrective action he tried to take simply made the position worse. I feel sorry for the poor driver - I'm sure he had the necessary skill and training, just that it was an 'off' day for him. I was able to slip past him, but car drivers on the road were forced to wait it out....

[hexhome]

I'm sure he had the necessary skill and training,

But maybe not the temperament

[DavidT]

Good video. Thanks for the link.

Although already an experienced cyclist and car driver, I always remember that it was only when I was doing my IAM course that the dangers of getting too close to the unsighted and/or manuouvre areas of lorries through junctions etc (and the challenges confronting their drivers) was truly rammed home for the first time. It was an enlightenment that immediately became incorporated into my driving and cycling safety.

Anything to promote such HGV awareness must be a good thing.

[hexhome]

Good video. Thanks for the link.

Although already an experienced cyclist and car driver, I always remember that it was only when I was doing my IAM course that the dangers of getting too close to the unsighted and/or manuouvre areas of lorries through junctions etc (and the challenges confronting their drivers) was truly rammed home for the first time. It was an enlightenment that immediately became incorporated into my driving and cycling safety.

Anything to promote such HGV awareness must be a good thing.

Thank you and believe me I promote cycle awareness to HGV drivers with even greater zeal!

[kwackers]

Strange that it was a spoof then .......but true now?

Wot's goin' on?

You're not remembering correctly.

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=35264

[Mick F]

No, not correctly

........ but my final post on there still stands - and no-one came back to counteract my point.

[hexhome]

Well I can add a little more to the incident now (I wasn't on this forum then).

It seems that a Renault Clio joined the A1 from the A64 http://goo.gl/maps/1TzZz. The road becomes 4 and then 5 lanes http://goo.gl/maps/YH8rN at this point. The driver joined the A1 and moved across to a right hand lane for the M1 and Leeds. In doing so the car clipped the front nearside corner of the an articulated tanker already in the M1/Leeds lane. This spun the car through 90 degrees and was pushed along by the HGV. The 'ordeal' lasted less than a minute, during which time the HGV manoeuvred to the (relative) safety of the hard shoulder.

HGV drivers get even more bad press than cyclists!

[kwackers]

Well I can add a little more to the incident now (I wasn't on this forum then).

It seems that a Renault Clio joined the A1 from the A64 http://goo.gl/maps/1TzZz. The road becomes 4 and then 5 lanes http://goo.gl/maps/YH8rN at this point. The driver joined the A1 and moved across to a right hand lane for the M1 and Leeds. In doing so the car clipped the front nearside corner of the an articulated tanker already in the M1/Leeds lane. This spun the car through 90 degrees and was pushed along by the HGV. The 'ordeal' lasted less than a minute, during which time the HGV manoeuvred to the (relative) safety of the hard shoulder.

HGV drivers get even more bad press than cyclists!

Just checking here:-
What you're saying is the lorry driver knew the car was there and the driver decided to continue on and find a safe place to stop rather than just stop?
If so I find that hard to believe, looking at the footage the driver doesn't bother slowing down, the motorway isn't particularly busy - having hit something most folk would just stop surely? (Or at the very least slow down)

Having said that the 'circumstance' around the event you describe matches pretty well with what I'd assumed happened in my original post.

[reohn2]

To get back on track,HGV's are here to stay so so let's accept that fact.
Let's also accept that if I can't see either an HGV's mirrors or driver s/he can't see me,whether I be driving a car,riding a bike or as a pedestrian.
So surely it's a case of not venturing where the driver can't see me,when cycling that means NOT riding up the inside or if overtaking positioning myself directly in front of the HGV,in short using what I see as common sense(though I have to be careful about using such a term )
Personally I find HGV drivers* to be courteous, and mindful of me when I'm cycling,I find that if I'm also mindful of their size and their potential blind spots all is well.


*excepting some Waste Skip drivers who are downright dangerous and which I place in the taxi catagory

[hexhome]

Just checking here:-
What you're saying is the lorry driver knew the car was there and the driver decided to continue on and find a safe place to stop rather than just stop?
If so I find that hard to believe, looking at the footage the driver doesn't bother slowing down, the motorway isn't particularly busy - having hit something most folk would just stop surely? (Or at the very least slow down)

Having said that the 'circumstance' around the event you describe matches pretty well with what I'd assumed happened in my original post.

I'm not privvy to any statement made by the driver, but yes, he manoeuvred over to the hard shoulder before stopping. I know from my experience that braking harshly could flip the car and it may be that he decided to slow gently and ease over to the left, though not a lot of evidence in the video. It would also seem that there was a period of time (50 odd seconds is a long incident) before the driver took any action and that I believe was the reason for further investigation and the drivers suspension.

[Claireysmurf]

This looks as if it could be interesting (so far have only skimmed it) http://www.transportenvironment.org/sit ... _final.pdf

But the review also offers an opportunity to make ‘smart’ changes to lorry sizes, i.e. to move
to a ‘smarter’ (greener and safer) design of the lorry’s cabin. The current rules leave only
2.35m for the cabin. This is why the typical European lorry has a ‘cab-over-engine’ design,
and why even within vehicles from different brands and of different sizes there is very little
variation in the frontal shape of the cab.
This blunt (brick-like) shape of the cab unit has numerous disdavantages. It limits the scope
to improve aerodynamic performance, which result in high fuel consumption and, as a
consequence, in high emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants from lorries. It also
limits the driver’s field of direct vision, thus increasing the likelihood of accidents (so-called
‘active safety’ problem). In addition, the engine is directly behind the front bumper, without
any crumple zone or crash box to absorb collision impacts and to diminish damage to the
driver if an accident occurs (the so-called ‘passive safety’ problem).
Allowing for longer cabins would enable lorrymakers to make cabins much safer, more
aerodynamic and hence more environmentally friendly.
With both these safety and environmental opportunities in mind, T&E commissioned an
independent study from the automotive research institute FKA5
aimed at identifying the
optimal shape and dimensions of a lorry cabin (the part of the lorry that pulls the trailer),
integrating new aerodynamic solutions and improving both active and passive safety.
It is important to note, that just simply allowing for longer cabins will not, by itself, lead to the
benefits identified in the FKA study. Additional design and safety rules would be needed to
exploit the full potential of longer cabins. However, changing the allowable cabin size is a
necessary prerequisite; without it these benefits are unattainable.

[Mick F]

Well I can add a little more to the incident now (I wasn't on this forum then).

It seems that a Renault Clio joined the A1 from the A64 http://goo.gl/maps/1TzZz. The road becomes 4 and then 5 lanes http://goo.gl/maps/YH8rN at this point. The driver joined the A1 and moved across to a right hand lane for the M1 and Leeds. In doing so the car clipped the front nearside corner of the an articulated tanker already in the M1/Leeds lane. This spun the car through 90 degrees and was pushed along by the HGV. The 'ordeal' lasted less than a minute, during which time the HGV manoeuvred to the (relative) safety of the hard shoulder.

HGV drivers get even more bad press than cyclists!

Still doesn't look like that to me.
The HGV was making no attempt to slow down.