Another reason that truck collisions are more dangerous
#1
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Another reason that truck collisions are more dangerous
Some may know that I'm very hawkish about truck blind spots and the right or left hook collision dangers they present.
But here's another difference between hitting a truck/trailer vs. a car. You may want to do an experiment, in which case you'll need a parked car (preferably one who's owner won't complain about a minor scratch, and a parked truck trailer.
This is a try this at home experiment, just be very careful. Some may prefer to run it in their imaginations only.
Riding slowly, approach a parked at a shallow angle simulating it starting a right hook across your path. At the moment just before collision reach out, fend off, and recover. You can also do this using your shoulder or upper body to check you into a parallel course. With practice you can develop this checking or fending maneuver into something you can execute at high speed, (bike polo teaches it well), and the skill can save you from crashing if right hooked by a car.
Now approach the middle of a truck trailer and try the same maneuver (SLOWLY). See, there's nothing to fend off against. Th trailer is at shoulder or head height and will clothesline you, most likely allowing the bicycle to slip underneath. If the trailer were moving forward, this would lead to being crushed under the rear axle.
I suspect that this tendency to slide under the high body trucks is a major contributor to the high mortality rate of truck right hook accidents. Even at low speed it's hard to avoid sliding under to be crushed.
But here's another difference between hitting a truck/trailer vs. a car. You may want to do an experiment, in which case you'll need a parked car (preferably one who's owner won't complain about a minor scratch, and a parked truck trailer.
This is a try this at home experiment, just be very careful. Some may prefer to run it in their imaginations only.
Riding slowly, approach a parked at a shallow angle simulating it starting a right hook across your path. At the moment just before collision reach out, fend off, and recover. You can also do this using your shoulder or upper body to check you into a parallel course. With practice you can develop this checking or fending maneuver into something you can execute at high speed, (bike polo teaches it well), and the skill can save you from crashing if right hooked by a car.
Now approach the middle of a truck trailer and try the same maneuver (SLOWLY). See, there's nothing to fend off against. Th trailer is at shoulder or head height and will clothesline you, most likely allowing the bicycle to slip underneath. If the trailer were moving forward, this would lead to being crushed under the rear axle.
I suspect that this tendency to slide under the high body trucks is a major contributor to the high mortality rate of truck right hook accidents. Even at low speed it's hard to avoid sliding under to be crushed.
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Last edited by FBinNY; 01-01-14 at 04:06 PM.
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However, I don't think people ride around weighing the consequences of various possible crashes. That's why I figured I'd remind folks that bicyclists may be hit by cars, but run over by trucks.
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I try not to let vehicles get next to me when approaching an intersection. Prevents right hooks every time.
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That may be possible in Lancaster, but in large urban areas half the street riding is done with vehicles next to you, and the other half with one immediately in front and back of a gap that just happens to be next to you for the moment.
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This is true even when not in a hooking situation. If a truck passes to close you are much more likely to end up under the wheels than a regular car. A cross wind (or even just bernoulli principle cause draft) could push a cyclist under a truck where it would only push them into a car.
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Urban riding is even easier - just ride in the middle of the lane. You'd have to do that to stay out of the door zone anyway.
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The traffic flow looks more like some kind of fluid dynamics thing, than what traffic engineers diagram.
As for those dashed lines, they're sort of a width gauge that one can use to judge if you'll fit into a hole.
At any time a cyclist can find himself in a 3' lane between two buses, only to have it dead end as each peels off to either side of a truck stopped ahead, leaving no room for the cyclist. Of course you don't have to ride this way, but unless you earn to flow with traffic, you won't be able to make any time which in NYC is a cardinal sin.
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WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
Last edited by FBinNY; 01-02-14 at 04:58 PM.
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I hit the rear tire of a semi trailer once. He pulled out in front of me when I was descending a mountain and I couldn't turn right fast enough. It really is dangerous, if I had been a few feet further forward, it's quite possible he would have run me over. I hit my head on the bottom row of lights on the side of the trailer, had I not run my shoulder into the tire, I definitely would have gone under.
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Take the lane!! You may be a pain to the truck driver!!! But you definitely won't be in a truck's blind spot!! Just don't do it when descending a steep grade hill.
Last edited by Chris516; 01-02-14 at 05:01 PM.
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I hit the rear tire of a semi trailer once. He pulled out in front of me when I was descending a mountain and I couldn't turn right fast enough. It really is dangerous, if I had been a few feet further forward, it's quite possible he would have run me over. I hit my head on the bottom row of lights on the side of the trailer, had I not run my shoulder into the tire, I definitely would have gone under.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
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WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.