Cyclists, pedestrians and riders around lorries

The Highway Code’s hierarchy of road users puts the greatest responsibility on those driving vehicles that can cause the most harm. That is a lorry driver. In the LGV theory test, vulnerable road user questions are less about knowing rules and more about knowing where a person can be hidden from a high cab and what you do about it.

Where you cannot see

A lorry has four zones where a person can disappear:

1. Directly in front of the cab. A child or a pedestrian crossing close to the bumper can be below your sightline. Class VI front mirrors or cameras cover this area.
2. Along the nearside. A cyclist alongside the cab or trailer can be invisible in the main mirror. Class V close-proximity mirrors, and on many vehicles sensors and cameras, help here.
3. The offside of the cab, especially on left-hand-drive lorries from abroad.
4. Behind the vehicle, where reversing is always a risk.

Mirrors only work if they are set correctly and you look at them in sequence. Move your head as you look, because the A-pillar and mirror housings themselves can hide a pedestrian at a junction.

Moving off

The most dangerous moment of the day is often the first one. Before moving off from a stop, check the front mirror and the nearside, not just the main mirrors. At traffic lights, a cyclist may have stopped right in front of the cab while you looked at the signal.

Large vehicles should stop far enough behind the first white line at an advanced stop line to see the whole box where cyclists wait. Give cyclists time to move off when the lights turn green before you pull away.

Turning left

A left turn in a lorry needs the vehicle to move out or straight on before turning, so the cab is ahead of the corner while the trailer cuts in. That creates a gap on the nearside, and a cyclist may ride into it.

The right approach:

• Check the nearside mirrors well before the junction, then again just before you turn.
• Position so that a cyclist cannot easily come up on your left, without moving so far right that you block oncoming traffic.
• Signal early, then watch the nearside throughout the turn, because a rider can arrive after you started.
• If a cyclist is beside you, wait. Under Rule H3 you should not turn across someone going ahead.

Rule H2 adds that you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road you are turning into. A lorry’s trailer may also clip a pedestrian standing near the kerb on a tight corner.

Passing cyclists, horses and pedestrians

The Highway Code guidance applies to lorries as much as cars, but a lorry’s size and air turbulence make it more critical:

The air buffeting from a passing lorry can push a cyclist off line or frighten a horse. On a narrow road where you cannot leave the space, stay behind until you can.

Air brakes hiss when released, which can startle horses. Pass slowly and quietly, and avoid releasing air brakes close to a horse.

Motorcyclists and mobility scooters

Motorcyclists filter through queues and can appear on either side, often faster than you expect. Before changing lanes in slow traffic, check for a rider coming through the gap.

Mobility scooters on the road are slow, low and may be hard to see; class 3 scooters can be used on the road up to 8 mph.

Reversing in yards and on streets

A reversing lorry has the largest blind area of all. Avoid reversing where you can by planning the route and drop. Where you must reverse, use a trained banksman where one is available, and stop if you lose sight of them. Reversing alarms and cameras help, but they do not replace walking round to check the area first.

Where candidates go wrong

• Assuming that a cyclist will see the indicator and wait.
• Choosing “sound the horn” as the response to a pedestrian in front of the cab. The safe answer is to stay stationary until they have moved.
• Thinking a Class VI mirror makes the front completely visible. It reduces the blind spot; it does not remove it.

Many of the hazard clips put these situations on screen: try the cyclist and turning scenes in the LGV hazard scenarios, then work through a full LGV mock test. The mirror and camera checks that make these habits possible are listed in daily vehicle checks and heavy vehicle braking.