blindzone demonstrations

Rider – Blindzone Demonstration

Few people have any idea of what a heavy vehicle driver can and can’t see from the seat of their truck or bus. Photos and videos only go so far in enabling one to understand the reality of driving a truck on our crowded roads.

Share the road Blind Zone Demonstrations are held at public events such as truck shows, cycle races, family bike days in fact any event where the public come along. Given that few people have had the opportunity to climb up into the driver seat of a truck or bus, there are always queues waiting to do so.

We mark out the blind zones with cones and tape. When available we position vehicles and bicycles in the blind zone areas then ask participants to find them when they are in the driver’s seat. On two occasions now local fire engines which were part of the event were positioned in a blind zone. Participants are usually quite shocked to realise a vehicle as big as a fire engine can be invisible to a driver.

There are two desired outcomes for Share the road Blind Zone Demonstrations:

• This experience improved my understanding of heavy vehicle blind zones

• As a result of this experience today, I am likely to change my behaviour when riding a bike near heavy vehicles

As a result of the ensuing conversations with participants by the CAN staff present, it is hoped that the person/s they are talking to will have an increased understanding of the following key messages:

• Do not pass a heavy vehicle on the left-hand side at intersections

• Position yourself so heavy vehicle drivers can see you

• Smile and wave to heavy vehicle drivers

• Look for a safe place to pull over to let the heavy vehicle pass

• Choose a safe route when riding your bike

• Ensure you can control your bicycle well before riding near heavy vehicles

Please contact us on the contact page if you would like help with a Blindzone Demonstration. We have a toolkit that can be sent to you that provides you with everything you need to run one yourself. If needed, we can contact a local truck operator to provide a truck. Please go to the Toolkit Page for more information. The drawing below shows the typical area required.