No More Lethal Lorries - Petition

jontea:

Speaking as a wagon driver, it's got fook all to do with blind spots and lack of glass panels, but everything to do with the drivers inability/laziness to check their mirrors. Been driving hgvs for about 15yrs never once have I hit a cyclist or missed spotting one at turnings/junctions.
Sure, lorry design isn't great, but it all comes down the pink squiggy thing in the drivers seat.

Totally. Of course, the overwhelming majority of interactions result in no problems (apart, perhaps, from a sense of alarm at being passed by a large vehicle). It is only that relatively small class of crashes (see your remark on the front nearside below) which do result in major problems that require this sort of corrective. As you're well aware, many drivers don't have the cyclist's perspective (which is why the work done on cycle training for drivers is so important).

Dammit:

That's very interesting - all of the HGV drivers on Pistonheads* insist that a) they genuinely can't see where they are going and that b) it's therefore not their fault when they run cyclists down, and finally c) it's impossible to look in all the mirrors they now have anyway, even if they were to show them what was around them.

*Yes, I know.

I think this certainly points to the nervousness and, in some cases no doubt, denial that's felt around the issue. At a guess, most of the posters there would not have been involved in such crashes and are reflecting on their alarm at suddenly having riders appear when they didn't see where they came from.

I have 6 mirrors on mine, and the time it takes to check em all is worth it because I haven't squished anyone. The only real danger spot for a cyclist is the very front nearside corner, but we as cyclist, really shouldn't position ourselves there.

Roughly speaking, and dependent on angle of mirrors, bars level with front of cab, head below main nearside mirror, is probably the most dangerous place to be. If we as cyclists need to come down the inside of a lorry always make sure you stop in front of the cab, give the driver a look, if stopping further back make sure you can see the driver in the main mirror, if you can see him, he can see you.

Yes:

(From the same LCC page I linked to above.)

This is obviously what direct vision aims to correct. As kl points out, there is also riders being stationary in the nearside position before a driver arrives, and several left hooks in London and no doubt elsewhere have involved drivers overtaking riders around a turn while moving.