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SUMMARY AND SOLUTIONS
Page 41
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And the action needed...
The reason for the test was not to pillory truckmakers in general, or any individual manufacturer, but to raise concern with a significant blindspot.
Europe's truck-makers have diligently complied with Brussels to address blindspots around the sides of the truck and trailer, but the mirror clusters have highlighted another issue.
But rather than focus on what size. number and type of mirrors are required, arguably, the EC should tell manufacturers what areas of vision it wants a driver to see, and leave it to the truckmakers to come up with their own solutions.
Volvo, for example, recently introduced revised mirror packs to help reduce the blindspot created on its old mirror packs. The driver's seating position can change the viewing angle, but the blindspot persists. Meanwhile, CCTV, radar, or heat-sensing could provide a long-term solution, judging by the host of future concept trucks manufacturers keep talking about.
Unfortunately, hi-tech equipment costs money and damaged hi-tech equipment costs more money to repair. Offsetting those costs against potential damage not incurred because they were fitted isn't a tangible saving, and always tough to get past the accountant. [However, the simple low-cost solution is to move the problem mirrors.] In theory, the mantis-style mirror is one solution. It frees up the eye line into roundabouts and junctions, but it also distorts the view looking back along the side of the vehicle. The mirror, the same size as the one on the arm, offers a smaller reflection and subtle movement becomes hard to notice. However, current regulations allow coach mirrors to be viewed through the unswept area of the screen, but trucks are limited to the swept area and side windows.
Another answer is to lower the main mirror, so the driver has to look down at it, and raise the wide-angle mirror to the top of the arm in order to maximise its coverage, also creating a gap between the two. That way the driver gets an unobstructed view into what was once a blindspot without losing rearward vision. Coaches often employ a window ledge rearward mirror to go with the mantis-style ones. In the meantime, educating all road users (and not just certain groups) of the limitations of lateral vision created by the larger mirror packs would go a long way to helping solve the problem.
As we told our visitor from MCN [see sidebar left]. If a motorcyclist can't see a driver's face in the cab because it's hidden behind a mirror, they should be on their guard.
It's time for a new section in The Highway Code that covers truck mirrors and their blindspots.