Side swiped by foreign lorry driver

Jack_Regan

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

If your mirrors are properly adjusted there should be little or no blind spot. But even if there were then you should be aware of the traffic all around you. Rather than just waiting until you are about to change lanes, and then check your mirrors. This is the difference between a good and a bad driver.

Even good drivers can get it wrong.

Ratboy

I've been given the opportunity even before I had a license to drive a HGV, on private land, and found the brakes unnerving! Not for me, but I did find the wing mirrors inadequate. And my Euro tour, via car, confused, and often pulled out of junctions wrongly.

So I fail to see the link between someone saying someone unemployed, as I am, and being able to drive anything, including a HGV confusing?

Why has this person got a fixation on the unemployed not being able to do stuff? Many unemployed have greater skills than those employed, but employers choose to keep lazy, thieving, ignorant, timewasters that I deal with on a daily basis. Again not all; as all unemployed are to be tarred by the same brush.

Jack_Regan

Ratboy wrote: »

I've been given the opportunity even before I had a license to drive a HGV, on private land, and found the brakes unnerving! Not for me, but I did find the wing mirrors inadequate. And my Euro tour, via car, confused, and often pulled out of junctions wrongly.

So I fail to see the link between someone saying someone unemployed, as I am, and being able to drive anything, including a HGV confusing?

Why has this person got a fixation on the unemployed not being able to do stuff? Many unemployed have greater skills than those employed, but employers choose to keep lazy, thieving, ignorant, timewasters that I deal with on a daily basis. Again not all; as all unemployed are to be tarred by the same brush.

Explains why you have a job then.;)

Dimey

This is standard practice with some foreign lorry drivers. And has been for the past 20 odd years.

Some foreign left hand drive lorries will purposely bump cars travelling beside them when they pull out from lane 1 to lane 2. If the car is closer to the front of the cab the effect of this multiple bumping will push the car round the front of the cab and off onto the hard shoulder barrier.

We see it often on the M20. Some years ago I chased after a lorry I spotted doing this in order to get his registration number. When I rang the number through to the police I was told it was pointless as the owner of the lorry will just never send that driver back to the UK so he can't be prosecuted. They will simply put that driver on runs to other EU countries.

The car driver spent months in hospital but phoned me later to thank me. His insurance company didn't bother going to the expense of tracing the foreign lorry owner. They just paid out on the car owner's insurance. They knew it wasn't realistic to waste time & money tracing the driver or owner.

Many people in Kent are so familiar with foreign lorry tactics along the M20 and M2, we never overtake a foreign lorry along the adjacent lane. If the lorry is in lane 1, we'll overtake in lane 3. I wouldn't dream of driving adjacent to a foreign lorry.

I hope things work out for you OP but I think you'll be lucky if you get anywhere insurance-wise with a foreign lorry owner.

Jamie_Carter

Jack_Regan wrote: »

Even good drivers can get it wrong.

You can't afford to get it wrong when it could cost someone their life. In a HGV you don't change lane just because you think it might be clear. You have to be 100% certain.

Jamie_Carter

Ratboy wrote: »

I've been given the opportunity even before I had a license to drive a HGV, on private land, and found the brakes unnerving! Not for me, but I did find the wing mirrors inadequate. And my Euro tour, via car, confused, and often pulled out of junctions wrongly.

So I fail to see the link between someone saying someone unemployed, as I am, and being able to drive anything, including a HGV confusing?

Why has this person got a fixation on the unemployed not being able to do stuff? Many unemployed have greater skills than those employed, but employers choose to keep lazy, thieving, ignorant, timewasters that I deal with on a daily basis. Again not all; as all unemployed are to be tarred by the same brush.

I presume it was a long time ago that you drove a HGV then?

Today they have more mirrors than a customised Lambretta.

Willyoulearn

Apparently there has been a government campaign to issue foreign lorry drivers, on entry to the UK, with something called a Fresnel Lenses to increase their visibility. This has had mixed results, but shows that the government is aware of this problem.

Jamie_Carter

Dimey wrote: »

This is standard practice with some foreign lorry drivers. And has been for the past 20 odd years.

Some foreign left hand drive lorries will purposely bump cars travelling beside them when they pull out from lane 1 to lane 2. If the car is closer to the front of the cab the effect of this multiple bumping will push the car round the front of the cab and off onto the hard shoulder barrier.

We see it often on the M20. Some years ago I chased after a lorry I spotted doing this in order to get his registration number. When I rang the number through to the police I was told it was pointless as the owner of the lorry will just never send that driver back to the UK so he can't be prosecuted. They will simply put that driver on runs to other EU countries.

The car driver spent months in hospital but phoned me later to thank me. His insurance company didn't bother going to the expense of tracing the foreign lorry owner. They just paid out on the car owner's insurance. They knew it wasn't realistic to waste time & money tracing the driver or owner.

Many people in Kent are so familiar with foreign lorry tactics along the M20 and M2, we never overtake a foreign lorry along the adjacent lane. If the lorry is in lane 1, we'll overtake in lane 3. I wouldn't dream of driving adjacent to a foreign lorry.

I hope things work out for you OP but I think you'll be lucky if you get anywhere insurance-wise with a foreign lorry owner.

Unfortunately for people like yourself who live in Kent, foreign drivers are responsible for a high proportion of RTCs in the UK.

Dimey

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Unfortunately for people like yourself who live in Kent, foreign drivers are responsible for a high proportion of RTCs in the UK.

Yes it certainly feels that way :-)
Us locals have learned to be wary. I feel sorry for people who have no idea what they are getting themselves into when they take the occasional drive down to the ferry terminals or Eurostar.

Jamie_Carter

Dimey wrote: »

Yes it certainly feels that way :-)
Us locals have learned to be wary. I feel sorry for people who have no idea what they are getting themselves into when they take the occasional drive down to the ferry terminals or Eurostar.

I can only assume it is due to poor driver training in some countries. Even if their mirrors aren't properly adjusted, and there are big blind spots. They should still be fully aware of all vehicles in their surrounding area on the road.