Hybrid braking?

[MikeSh]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

but you start to develop psychic powers after a while to spot smeg pots like that so you can prepare

Some do ... some (probably the smeg pots) don't. 

 

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

I reckon the hardshoulder on that down hill has saved a lot of accidents, by acting as an escape lane

Pray you never break down on that section ..........

[MikeSh]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

there's always some idiot who tries to dive into it at the last minute

I had an interesting experience of this many years ago. 3 lane M'way (prob M6 but not sure), busy with all lanes doing about lorry speed - 50-60 mph. Approaching a junction I was in the middle lane creeping past an artic (as I was keeping a distance from the car in front of me) and just abaft his cab - not a good place but it was hard to avoid. Then a smeg-head dived from the outside lane in front of me and then into the inside lane in front of the lorry, because he needed that junction and hadn't put his brain in gear early enough - or he/she was indeed just an idiot.

So far so normal - I don't think anyone even blinked. But then the artic put his right indicator on ....

The outside lane was occupied, so in a very rare event I practically stood on the horn button and the indicator was promptly turned off and we all continued.

My analysis is that the lorry driver, seeing a car cut that close across his nose, assumed there was nothing in the area near his cab and could see in his mirror that beyond that the next car in the middle lane was behind his tail (which it would have been if it was a sensible distance behind me). So he took the opportunity to take the gap in the middle lane. I hope he learned something from that - I did.

[Cyker]

Yeah, I've had something similar too except the lorry either ignored or didn't hear my horn so I had to force my way into the right lane - Fortunately the driver there *was* using his brain and could see what was happening so left me ample space to escape.

Nowadays, I'm more wary of overtaking lorries in similar situations until there is space for me to clear them, and tend to back off a bit until the space is there, then gun the car past rather than do a slow pass!

[dannyboy413]

31 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Nowadays, I'm more wary of overtaking lorries in similar situations until there is space for me to clear them, and tend to back off a bit until the space is there, then gun the car past rather than do a slow pass!

You only have to have a look on YouTube at some of the 'near miss', (and, usually, not 'missed'), videos to see how dangerous a place it is to be when at the side of an HGV cab on a motorway!  

[Chas G]

Standard practice for a lot of idiots on the a40 at hanger Lane is not to join the queue to turn off and swing across at the last minute. Once while riding a BMW motorbike, a Bentley Continental Gt slammed his anchors on to miss one of these fools and I ended up hitting the rear quarter and then ran down the side of it. Barely a scratch on my bike but lots of damage to the aluminium panels on the Bentley.

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, dannyboy413 said:

You only have to have a look on YouTube at some of the 'near miss', (and, usually, not 'missed'), videos to see how dangerous a place it is to be when at the side of an HGV cab on a motorway!  

Exactly, which is why I now try to minimize my time there!!!  

I must admit I'd like to sit in a HGV just to get an idea of what they can actually see - On the one hand they have a lot more mirrors, but on the other hand they drive like their blindspot is 90% of the vehicle  

[MikeSh]

3 hours ago, Cyker said:

I'm more wary of overtaking lorries in similar situations until there is space for me to clear them, and tend to back off a bit until the space is there, then gun the car past rather than do a slow pass!

The problem then is that gap is sooo tempting that just as you overlap the lorry some idiot will jump into the space leaving you stuck alongside till you can back off clear again (without causing a major pile-up behind you). Rinse and repeat.

There's no easy option. These days when it's that heavy I tend to slot into the inside lane and accept I'm going 1-2 mph slower than I could be, until things start freeing up. Keep a good eye on the rearview and ready to take to the hard shoulder if things go pear-shaped in a hurry.

[Trewithy]

14 hours ago, Cyker said:

Exactly, which is why I now try to minimize my time there!!!  

I must admit I'd like to sit in a HGV just to get an idea of what they can actually see - On the one hand they have a lot more mirrors, but on the other hand they drive like their blindspot is 90% of the vehicle  

 If I have to overtake a lorry I get passed as quick as possible but I never drive alongside a lorry, I always hang back just in case he can't see me and pulls out.

One tip that was given to me many years ago and I still practice it today: look at the lorry's mirrors.  If you can see the driver's face then he can see you.  If you can't see him then he can't see you.

Be careful out there.

 

[Roy124]

On  blind spots, I only saw the after effects.

In Boston there is a 5-way roundabout.  From the west the A52 exit is the 3rd exit with an Artic making a 300 degree turn and using both lanes the do a snake exit.

The roundabout is bordered by steel fencing protect/deter pedestrians with a death wish.

At some point this very small car finished up wedged between Artic and railings with the driver shook up but trapped inside.

I guess she had been in lane 1 and the Artic in lane 1 but pulling across to lane 2, before cutting across to lane 1 had not seen her below.

I was once T-boned on a main road with a truck exiting a side road. I was stopped waiting to turn  and the car behind me flashed the truck to say he would wait.  The truck said it was my fault as he had been waved on.

 

[anchorman]

The suggestion that a truck can’t see a car behind unless the driver can see the face of the driver behind simply isn’t true or if it is, they shouldn’t be driving a truck.  There’s a good foot of every car in view before you get to the drivers eyes unless his head is way offset on his body.   The silly sticker should say “if you can see my mirrors you should get back over the white line you moron”.