A Pillar Blindspots

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

Was nearly, ever so nearly, one myself last night - already on [and
cycling round] a roundabout when a car looked as though he was just
about to plough straight into me as he entered the roundabout. I
swerved, kind of fell/stummbled off the bike and he saw me JUST in
time. I did have lights, although not a lot from the side in terms of
visibility gear. He knew he was in the wrong [gestured], I gave a
look, and that was that.

There again, two days earlier driving home, I almost flattened a woman
who stepped out into the road walking a dog without using those most
useful of organs - the eyes. Again I just picked her up in time,
regardless of fact that my headlights were shinning down her throat.

Take your pick. Boots and other feet.

Garry

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

Its more than blindspots. Some of the roundabouts near us have been
designed on paper to give nice artistic sweeps of the roads onto the
roundabout. The angles created are such that you have to turn round and
look through the rear side window to see approaching traffic. Now that
is fine for me but if I were elderly or had a bad back or neck it would
be next to impossible. A triumph of artistic paper design over
practicality and safety.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

"Paul Smith, the founder of the SafeSpeed campaign, said: 'It is
appalling that the department has sat on its hands for so long. The
Minnesota research suggests that even good drivers can easily become
helpless victims, unable to avoid a crash that they literally didn’t
see coming.' "

It's telling that P**l Sm*th sees the drivers as *helpless victims*,
not the cyclists.
--
Let us have a moment of silence for all Americans who
are now stuck in traffic on their way to a health club
to ride a stationary bicycle. -
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)

Tony Raven said:

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

Its more than blindspots. Some of the roundabouts near us have been
designed on paper to give nice artistic sweeps of the roads onto the
roundabout. The angles created are such that you have to turn round and
look through the rear side window to see approaching traffic. Now that
is fine for me but if I were elderly or had a bad back or neck it would
be next to impossible. A triumph of artistic paper design over
practicality and safety.

I think the point is that you don't have to slow down at all. Of course
it's not so good if there is other traffic!

James
--
James Annan
see web pages for email
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/
http://julesandjames.blogspot.com/

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

One of the worst is the Vauxhall Zafira* - not only thick pillars, but
the penny-pinching manufacturers issued the right-hand drive cars with
what I assume are left-hand drive wipers, which leaves an unswept area
right next to the thick pillar on the drivers side. Being a cyclist
myself I know about blind spots and move my head around a lot when
driving, but Vauxhall should never have been allowed to sell a car with
a fault which would have been so easy for them to rectify!

So watch out for Zafiras in particular!

Biggles

* Bet you can't guess what I drive when I not on my bike!

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

An interesting side effect of learning to drive large vehicles in quite
an old example of the breed is that it wasn't fitted with seatbelts. I
rapidly became aware of how much more I moved my upper body to get a
better view when the (articifial[1]) restriction of movement is
removed.

Jon

[1] I say "articifial" because it doesn't limit smooth movement, but
the pressure across the chest is enough to dissuade movement.

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

The old Fiat Punto was a nightmare in this respect.

Jon is Away! said:

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

An interesting side effect of learning to drive large vehicles in quite
an old example of the breed is that it wasn't fitted with seatbelts. I
rapidly became aware of how much more I moved my upper body to get a
better view when the (articifial[1]) restriction of movement is
removed.

Jon

[1] I say "articifial" because it doesn't limit smooth movement, but
the pressure across the chest is enough to dissuade movement.

Big trucks still don't have them - at least, the 7.5 tonner I hired from
Ryder fairly recently didn't. Unless one of these hits another truck
head-on, it ain't gonna stop too quickly...

Biggles <[email hidden]> writed in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the
care that needs to be taken (by both parties).

One of the worst is the Vauxhall Zafira* - not only thick pillars, but
the penny-pinching manufacturers issued the right-hand drive cars with
what I assume are left-hand drive wipers, which leaves an unswept area
right next to the thick pillar on the drivers side.

And the Peugot 307SW (don't know about other 307 models)

Quoted message said:

Zog The Undeniable said:

Big trucks still don't have them - at least, the 7.5 tonner I hired from
Ryder fairly recently didn't.

I believe it recently became compulsory to fit them to new vehicles, so
in a few years time you'll see most of the old stock replaced.
Interestingly, it's apparently compulsory to wear them if fitted, but
not compulsory to fit them if not fitted... Left hand... meet right
hand!

Quoted message said:

Unless one of these hits another truck
head-on, it ain't gonna stop too quickly...

Dunno about that. The 18T Scania I learnt in could (admittedly empty)
stop in a very short distance... far shorter than I had believed
possible until I tried it. That said, the driving position naturally
braces you reasonably well. A better reason for seatbelts might be to
save drivers during jack-knifes where the cab may well end up on one
side.

Part of the observation required is to check the mirrors every time a
vehicle passes on the other side, or a pedestrian is passed on the
pavement. This is because you are legally oblidged to stop in the event
of a collision, but with 7.5T+ of truck, you can hit a car and not
notice!

Jon

Biggles said:

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts,
has been mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough
the care that needs to be taken (by both parties).

One of the worst is the Vauxhall Zafira* - not only thick
pillars, but the penny-pinching manufacturers issued the
right-hand drive cars with what I assume are left-hand drive
wipers, which leaves an unswept area right next to the thick
pillar on the drivers side. Being a cyclist myself I know
about blind spots and move my head around a lot when driving,
but Vauxhall should never have been allowed to sell a car with
a fault which would have been so easy for them to rectify!
So watch out for Zafiras in particular!

Biggles

* Bet you can't guess what I drive when I not on my bike!

I've got one and you're right the pillars are very difficult to see
round. It is handy though, I can get the windcheetah in it.
--
Cheers
the.Mark

Jon is Away! wrote:

On seatbelts in trucks...

Quoted message said:

Interestingly, it's apparently compulsory to wear them if fitted, but
not compulsory to fit them if not fitted... Left hand... meet right
hand!

Same as for cars. To be otherwise would be seen as retrospective
application of a law.

"Peter B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care
that
needs to be taken (by both parties).
--
Pete
http:[email hidden]/Stuff

I drive a citroen C5, and on several occasions have "lost" cars behind the
pillar. Approaching a roundabout once, something niggled at the back of my
mind; I could see the road was clear, but something told me that I'd seen
something a couple of seconds previously. Sure enough, moving my head to
peer around the pillar, there was a CAR, which I'd register disappear behind
the pillar, but not seen it reapper, due to our relative motion continuing
to hide it!

Also, recently my son was knocked off his bike at a mini roundabout,
reported in these pages in Nov. The driver was in a Renault Espace. In
these things the pillars are a long way in front of the driver, which
reduces paralax between pillar and bike/car/motorbike/pedestrian, meaning
that the driver has to lean significantly to see around the pillar.

Peter

"al Mossah" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I drive a citroen C5,

Me too.
Not only is the pillar thick with an infill for the mirror but the angle is
far slacker than similar cars of old meaning it's both further away at the
bottom and quite simply there is more length x more width = a lot more
pillar!
--
Pete
http:[email hidden]/Stuff

"Biggles" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter B said:

I know A pillar blindspots, particularly bad at roundabouts, has been
mentioned before on this NG but here's a little more:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2022514,00.html

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2022947,00.html

As a roundabout smidsy victim myself I can't emphasise enough the care
that
needs to be taken (by both parties).

One of the worst is the Vauxhall Zafira* - not only thick pillars, but the
penny-pinching manufacturers issued the right-hand drive cars with what I
assume are left-hand drive wipers, which leaves an unswept area right next
to the thick pillar on the drivers side. Being a cyclist myself I know
about blind spots and move my head around a lot when driving, but Vauxhall
should never have been allowed to sell a car with a fault which would have
been so easy for them to rectify!

Just a quick note our Zafira (03 model) has both wipers meeting in the
middle of the screen, so the swept area reaches right up to the A pillars on
both sides.

The width of the A pillars is still a problem though.