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I just came across a link from Twitter user @mikelikesbikes—posted in response to yesterday’s cycling death at Augusta and Ashland—on what cyclists should do (and not do) around trucks. The article, from Commute Orlando, is titled “What Cyclists Need to Know About Trucks”, and the image alone is informative enough to make it worth passing on; I had no idea what a truck driver’s blind spot looks like. The thing about this is that a cyclist stopped in the bike lane at a red light, doing exactly what seems to be the safest and most legal thing, is also in the best position to get hit by a truck driver who doesn’t know he’s there. Most experienced cyclists know to look out for right-turning cars and position themselves either in front of or behind those cars at lights to avoid what’s often known as the “right hook,” but I don’t think most people realize just how big a trucker’s blind spot is.
