Lorries turning left
You learn to stay out of the blind spot of a lorry that turns left.
How to know who goes first
- Never ride up the inside of a lorry.
- Never wait beside it: that is its blind spot.
- Stay a few metres behind it.
A worked example
The lorry is going to turn left. You are on your bike. Where do you wait?
- Look at the indicator: the lorry turns left.
- Look at the space beside it: that is its blind spot.
- Stay out of it.
- Wait a few metres behind the lorry.
More examples
Where can the driver not see you?
- Beside the lorry, on its left.
- The driver cannot see you there.
The lorry has an indicator on, to the left. You are beside it.
- Stop and stay back.
- The lorry will turn across your path.
Watch out
You squeeze up on the left of a lorry at the lights.
That is the blind spot. Stay behind it.
Tips
- If you cannot see the driver's mirrors, the driver cannot see you.
- Right in front of a high cab is hard to see as well.
Why it works
A lorry driver cannot see a bike beside the cab. When the lorry turns left, it swings across the space on its left, and its back wheels cut the corner. The Highway Code (rule 76) says: take great care, the driver may not see you. So never ride up the inside of a lorry, and never wait beside it. Stay a few metres behind.