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Old 03-25-08 | 08:41 PM
  #81  
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cooker
Prefers Cicero
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others

Originally Posted by charly17201
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this uninformed statement. And yes, I am a truck driver.
Professional truck drivers are among the best drivers on the road. But the design of a truck still makes it dangerous to cyclists. Obviously it is bigger and harder to avoid. It has more blind spots. You can't flop onto its hood. Worst of all, and this is how many cyclists have died, as it turns right, the rear wheels cut inside the front wheel tracks, sweeping any parallel cyclists under the side of the truck and under the rear wheels. The excellent driving skills of many truckers may prevent many accidents, but the design of the truck can cause them.

In Europe many large trucks have baffles between the front and rear wheels to stop cyclists or pedestrians being caught in the gap.
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