We’ve all seen it, a foreign registered lorry stopped on the hard shoulder along with a bent car & a police vehicle.
This is a regular phenomenom presumably caused by the left ■■■■■■ pulling out to over take whilst there is a car in his blind spot.
Apparrently it was looked at recently on one of the TV motoring programmes (possibly 5th Gear). A friend who is involved in Road Safety desperately needs a copy of this.
Can anyone help?
dont have a copy but it was on five, fifth gear with quentin wilson. About a woman scared of motorway driving, and geting in the way of everyone. (of course noone sujested anything was her fault) 
I dont think it has anything to do with left or right hand drive…we drive left hookers over there and over here…we drive right hand drive vehicles across the water without mishap…so its got to do with the actual drivers…so it goes to show that we are the best… i saw a foreigner wagon and drag who took the front off of a new english registered people carrier in calais docks…looked like the G.B. registered tried to go up the nearside of him…served them right.
have a nice day
I was looking for info on this very subject a couple of months ago for a Road Safety presentation. I didn’t do very well. 
I know for a fact that one of the Constabulary’s, and in particular a Motorway Traffic Officer, did a lot of research and compiling of stats that conclusively showed where wide-angle mirrors are not fitted to the blind side, the likelyhood of an accident was greatly increased!!
If anyone comes across that report I would be very gratefull! 
This is anBritish problem, it isn’t really anything to do with foreign drivers, more to do with slack home drivers who sit at the side of trucks matching their speed.
In Europe, if you put the indicator on, vehicles just disapear from the lanes and either drop back or pull over. In Britain car drivers will travel at the same speed as the vehicle they are overtaking mile after mile, A bit like many truck drivers nowadays.
In a RHD truck it is a little easier to see these muppets, but they still do it
It is more to do with training and understanding than foreign lorries being dangerous
truckyboy:
so it goes to show that we are the best…
Personally, I doubt that it has anything to do with racial superiority.
It’s probably fair to say though, that most foreign drivers have never driven on such overcrowded roads and this is probably a contributory factor.
As has been pointed out, blind-side mirrors are a great help. These are, I believe, now a compulsary fitment to trucks on urban work in the Netherlands(someone correct me if I am wrong), and it was recently proposed that they should be a compulsary fitment here, but this is being resisted by the RHA on the grounds of cost.
It is also true, as Malc pointed out, that car drivers in other countries are far more “truck-savvy” than motorists here, and increasing L-plate drivers’ awareness of the characteristics of large vehicles could only be a good thing.
Vince
I have to be honest and say that this has happened to me and I drive a right hand drive truck. I am 6’2" and therefore sit with the drivers seat fully back, this does create an offside blind spot. A problem I overcome by getting my boss to fit a wide angled/blind spot mirror on the offside, prior to this, I found myself leaning forward to check my mirrors.
Personally, I think these mirrors, should be fitted on both sides. A lot of the problems are caused by car drivers, plodding along, overtaking you, they ignore indications that you give in plenty of time and seem to find joy in just sitting beside you.
These are my personal views, with no intentions of contradicting or offending anyone else.
John
John,
I’ve always wondered how truck drivers manage that laid-back seating position for the very reason you’ve mentioned i.e. leaning forward to check the mirrors.
I personally prefer my back straight up with the steering wheel as near horizontal as possible. That’s why I always find MAN’s so comfy. Having said all that, I always drive the car quite laid-back.
Did anyone see the (yellow) Renault concept truck at Hanover CV show? In place of the mirrors were two little ‘arms’ sticking out which housed small camera’s, similar to reversing camera’s on tipper etc. To ‘look behind’ you looked ‘inside’ at the TV monitor!!
I’m another one who is guilty of smacking a car dawdling in my blind spot. Once in Italy in a RHD and once in the UK (on the M25) in a LHD.
Both times I did a proper job. Wrote the car off but the passengers (after I hit them, anyone inside them are passengers) all got out unhurt and swearing 
.
I have just bought myself a blindspot mirror, to fit on the inside of the A pillar. It was €10 from the Total in Zeebrugge.