the driver's handbook

88
R O A d R U L E S
Sharing the Road with
Heavy Vehicles
Blind spots
A blind spot is where you as a driver lose sight of the vehicles
around you. You know where your blind spots are when travelling
on the road. Know where a truck driver’s blind spots are:
• beside the truck’s left door
• directly behind the truck for quite a distance – if you cannot see
the truck driver in the truck’s mirror, then the truck driver cannot
see you
• immediately in front of the truck.
Get clear of a truck driver’s blind spots as soon as you can. Move
to a position well in front of or behind the truck, where the driver
can see you.
The Driver’s Handbook
Stopping distances
Trucks are bigger and heavier than cars so they take longer to stop
safely. The table below shows stopping distances for trucks:
Vehicle Speed Stopping Distance Stopping Distance
(km/h) dry road wet roads
(metres) (metres)
60 80.6 90.3
80 130 170.3
100 185 277.5
Source: Acceleration and deceleration testing of combination vehicles Report Number
RUS-04-1075-01-05 (13 August 2004). WA Dept of Main Roads.
So don’t cut in front of a truck as it is slowing down to stop (for
example at traffic lights) because you may not leave enough room for
it to pull up. When driving on wet roads drivers should remember that
a truck will take much longer to stop.
Turning truck
Because trucks are bigger than cars,
they take up more space than cars when
turning, so keep a safe distance away
and give them room to move.
Don’t overtake on the inside
of a turning truck which
displays these signs.