This post is a translation of an article on the site of the ADFC (German bicyclists’ association), to which I have added comments, in indented italics as here. The German original is at https://adfc-berlin.de/radverkehr/sicherheit/information-und-analyse/121-fahrradunfaelle-in-berlin-unfallstatistik/222-exkurs-der-tote-winkel.html. For a different approach which could save your life is you are a cyclist, please see https://vimeo.com/263377367 (What cyclists need to know about trucks).
Side discussion: the blind spot
ADFC: there are no blind spots around large trucks.
(A rather bold assertion)
(Lines below the picture are translations of the annotations)
Mirrors on a large truck
- Front-view mirror. Slip-road mirror
- Main outside mirrors
- Wide-angle mirrors.
- Left side; Right side
- Source: http://de.academic.ru/dic.nsf/dewiki/1213787 (our own annotations)
ADFC: A truck which conforms has six mirrors, making it possible to see all around the truck. Correct adjustment of mirrors is essential. In the photo, the slip-road mirror is incorrectly adjusted; half of its area shows the truck rather than the area next to the truck.
(JSA comment: so this truck has a blind spot. Also, mirrors must be adjusted to suit the height of the driver. )
Fields of view required by the EU
- Class 2, class 4, class 5, class 6, danger zone.
- Source: MEKRA Lang company (rear-view mirror manufacturer), 2008
All areas ahead of and next to the cabs of large trucks are visible in mirrors prescribed everywhere in the EU.
That can be confirmed easily in practice by looking at the mirrors from the outside of the truck. If you see the steering wheel and the window in the driver’s side door, then the driver can also see you in the mirrors.
(JSA note: the driver also must be looking into the mirror.)
The “blind spot” is within the field of view
- A cyclist next to the truck is visible in both the side window and the wide-angle (convex) mirror.
- Photo: ADFC
JSA note: The photo was taken from the same height as the mirror and window, which are about two meters above the road surface. The bicyclist is not tall enough to be visible in the window and can be ahead of or below the field of view of the convex mirror.)
Bagged front and wide-angle mirrors
- Bagged front and wide-angle mirrors
- Source: http://www.toter.winkel.de
“Explanation” of the “blind spot” by the police and trucker’s association
Bagged frame (Rahmen) mirrors: (should be Rampen, slip-road, mirrors, as in photo caption). Source: http://www.transportbotschafter.de
ADFC: in explanations of the “blind spot”, the wide-angle mirrors are often bagged. A truck is, however, not driven with its wide-angle mirrors bagged. The explanations are contrary to practice.
ADFC: the view in the wide-angle mirror: in fact, the supposed “blind spot” is seen in the wide-angle mirror.
Source: http://www.vsbb-verkehrssicherheit.de/
(JSA comment: The reference is to an article by the truckers. The video at the bottom of the article starts by showing a young child riding into the danger zone to the right of a large truck.)
ADFC: The explanations are often strongly supported by trucking companies or truck manufacturers. An example of this is the „Verkehrssicherheit Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH“ (VSBB), (Berlin-Brandenburg Traffic Safety Corporation) , a 100% subsidiary of the Berlin-Brandenburg truckers’ association.
Driver’s assistant
The ADFC demands the addition of a driver’s assistant as a measure to counter the main reason for fatal bicycle crashes.
EU requirements and German traffic law
Since January 2007, the EU has required newly registered trucks to have mirrors for gap-free views in all directions. Since March, 2009, existing trucks have had to be retrofitted with these mirrors.
The German traffic law requires
§ 56 Mirrors and other arrangements for indirect vision:
(1) Motor vehicles must, as described in paragraphs 2 and 3, have mirrors or other arrangements for indirect vision, constructed and installed so that the the driver can see all essential traffic activity to the rear, the side and immediately ahead of the vehicle – also when pulling a trailer.
ADFC: Vehicles with a “blind spot” do not, therefore, conform to the German traffic law.
Latest update; February 2, 2018
(JSA comment: there isn’t a view in all directions unless there is a backup camera, not mentioned in this article. No driver can look into six mirrors and directly ahead, at the same time.)
