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31 Dec 17
13:36
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Date Joined:
09 Jul 09
Could have been serious!
Going down the hill from my place is a 'Give Way' at the junction of three other roads.
On the way down there is the opportunity to see if any vehicles will be close when I get there.
Today not another soul so I was all set to keep going.
To my horror a cyclist appears from my right, and I hadn't seen him until he was almost in front of me.
I hit the brakes, and wasn't going at all quickly, but I caught the back wheel, and having stopped to see what damage there was, the wheel was buckled just enough for it to foul the brakes.
Obviously I expressed how horrified I was as I just hadn't seen him!
I asked how much a new wheel was, and he said £30.00. I don't think the bike was worth that but anyway, to calm things down, I gave him £40.00 which was all I had on me.
Fortunately he hadn't far to go so we shook on it and off he went.
I know exactly how this occurred and it was a one in a thousand chance!
My car has a very sloping screen, and very heavy 'A' posts, with a token small window and then another bar that holds the mirrors.
This creates a massive blind spot, which is a problem when making a turn into another road, as the kerb or verge cannot be seen.
What's happened here is that as I was coming down, my speed and that of the cyclist was the same, and so he was in my blind spot until he was moving across the front of me.
A really unnerving event because, had my reactions not been instant, or going too fast, I would have slammed into him!!!
Going down the hill from my place is a 'Give Way' at the junction of three other roads.
On the way down there is the opportunity to see if any vehicles will be close when I get there.
Today not another soul so I was all set to keep going.
To my horror a cyclist appears from my right, and I hadn't seen him until he was almost in front of me.
I hit the brakes, and wasn't going at all quickly, but I caught the back wheel, and having stopped to see what damage there was, the wheel was buckled just enough for it to foul the brakes.
Obviously I expressed how horrified I was as I just hadn't seen him!
I asked how much a new wheel was, and he said £30.00. I don't think the bike was worth that but anyway, to calm things down, I gave him £40.00 which was all I had on me.
Fortunately he hadn't far to go so we shook on it and off he went.
I know exactly how this occurred and it was a one in a thousand chance!
My car has a very sloping screen, and very heavy 'A' posts, with a token small window and then another bar that holds the mirrors.
This creates a massive blind spot, which is a problem when making a turn into another road, as the kerb or verge cannot be seen.
What's happened here is that as I was coming down, my speed and that of the cyclist was the same, and so he was in my blind spot until he was moving across the front of me.
A really unnerving event because, had my reactions not been instant, or going too fast, I would have slammed into him!!!
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There are a lot of "There but for the Grace of God" incidents. I have a blind spot on my car. A year or so ago I pulled out to turn right at a T Junction and had my passenger not shouted STOP. I would have hit another car. These blind spots are a serious threat to road safety. The prase being in the wrong place at the wrong time comes to mind.
Tbf laydefav, if you'd been going quicker you'd have been across and missed him by many yards. 
Slicer....never a truer word!
To have a situation like I hd today you couldn't even choreograph if you tried!
To have a car and, in this case a bike, with positioning so accurate, to create this incident, you could try all day!
Just been searching for similar examples and there are a fair few....
"Yes I agree it is a problem. It occurs when approaching a roundabout or T junction. If a car is approacing from your right at the same speed and is initially in that blind spot, then it remains in that blind spot until it looms large enough to frighten you. Must make a determined effort to look around that pillar when approaching roundabouts."
"confused:has anyone else noticed or had a problem with the blind spot on the J model, namely the A pillar on the drivers door were the quarter glass panel is adjacent to the front window? Just tonight I nearly pulled out an a van on a roundabout I could not see it to my right due to the obstructed view!!! when I came to the next roundabout, i again can hide a full moving vehicle behind this blinspot...is it just me?? or is this a serious issue, I have been looking at salvage sales for astra J's and there are quite a few with O/S damage...coincidence maybe:sus:, but they nearly had another one tonight!!!:
"Yes I agree it is a problm. It occurs when approaching a roundabout or T junction. If a car is approacing from your right at the same speed and is initially in that blind spot, then it remains in that blind spot until it looms large enough to frighten you. Must make a determined effort to look around that pillar when approaching roundabouts".
To have a situation like I hd today you couldn't even choreograph if you tried!
To have a car and, in this case a bike, with positioning so accurate, to create this incident, you could try all day!
Just been searching for similar examples and there are a fair few....
"Yes I agree it is a problem. It occurs when approaching a roundabout or T junction. If a car is approacing from your right at the same speed and is initially in that blind spot, then it remains in that blind spot until it looms large enough to frighten you. Must make a determined effort to look around that pillar when approaching roundabouts."
"confused:has anyone else noticed or had a problem with the blind spot on the J model, namely the A pillar on the drivers door were the quarter glass panel is adjacent to the front window? Just tonight I nearly pulled out an a van on a roundabout I could not see it to my right due to the obstructed view!!! when I came to the next roundabout, i again can hide a full moving vehicle behind this blinspot...is it just me?? or is this a serious issue, I have been looking at salvage sales for astra J's and there are quite a few with O/S damage...coincidence maybe:sus:, but they nearly had another one tonight!!!:
"Yes I agree it is a problm. It occurs when approaching a roundabout or T junction. If a car is approacing from your right at the same speed and is initially in that blind spot, then it remains in that blind spot until it looms large enough to frighten you. Must make a determined effort to look around that pillar when approaching roundabouts".
saddo... a good point but, had I been going faster, or slower, I would have seen him!
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