Blind Spots—They Aren't Rocket Science
03-02-2016
Author: in RVing Ruminations by Russel
Most of us are aware that there are certain areas around us when driving, whether in just a car, or an RV, that we simply are unable to see. The major ones that affect us while driving we have learned to make allowances for with various combinations of mirrors. Personally I prefer the small but adjustable types I can affix to my larger side mirrors for assistance in lane change and passing. But in order for those to be effective, it must be said, they must be used. Looking in either of my rear view mirrors has become an automatic (though one must train oneself to the habit at first) two-step process. A single quick look will simply not suffice. Look twice—once at the larger mirror and then once again at the smaller one. It is necessary to do it that way every time, and often twice or even more times in heavy traffic on freeways. Despite the fact that passing SHOULD be done only on the left, there are many places that is completely ignored. You have very carefully calculated a clear break in traffic so you can move to the right lane and just as you are about to do so, into the space you were going to move comes jetting a vehicle who has seen the same opening and often broken the speed limit and ignored your turn signal to move into it. Not much you can do except abort your movement quickly enough to avoid being side swiped. And try not to let it raise your blood pressure enough that your own driving becomes aggressive. There is a huge range of options for customizing your mirrors so they work for you.
It seems to me that there are two things, those who have never driven an RV fail to understand. Number one, especially if you have a tow vehicle, that your turning radius, the amount of space it requires you to turn, is much longer and wider than in just an ordinary vehicle. And two, it takes you a much farther distance to stop, even at slow speeds.
The second one results in being “cut off” (as the expression goes) by vehicles moving into your lane in front of you. Their vehicle's length is deemed by them a reasonable amount of space between you. But you know the moment they are there it is not if either of you had to stop suddenly. The only solution is for you to adjust your speed in order to increase the interval between you. That interval between vehicles is something that seems to be mostly ignored. Often times resulting in being tailgated as well. There is a time tested method for determining that as you drive along. Pick some stationary object, like a sign beside the road and begin counting slowly (one thousand one, one thousand two etc.) when the vehicle ahead of you passes it. Then take note what number you are on when you pass it. Anything less than a slow three probably means you are too close. For larger rigs one should adjust that number upwards.
Perhaps the biggest blind spot of all is one that many people do not even consider—blind spots IN OUR ATTENTION – talking on cell phones, hands free or hand held. Studies have shown that the speed at which you react is up to 40% slower when doing so. Talking on the phone involves using the same part of the brain as driving. So as with most multitasking, one or the other, if not both, of the things being done is going to suffer. It is almost as if by doing so, you are driving with only one eye open. Of course there is a great and easy solution to this problem—JUST DO NOT DO IT! The life you save could be your own!
These things seem like Driver's Ed 101, but judging from behavior on most roads many people got out of that class (or skipped it) long ago.
That addresses blind spots while we are driving. The other place blind spots are an issue is when we are parking or backing up, A few things can lead to some wicked dings in the rig and insurance claims from property owners.
One of the worse cases I ever experienced was in a small California town up in the gold country named Tuolumne County, which had chosen to maintain the authentic look and feel of an early western town by leaving the wooden awnings and balconies that covered the sidewalks on many of their buildings. It was early morning and I was on my way to breakfast. One whole side of the street a short distance from the restaurant had no one else parked on it. So I pulled right on over, the street was narrow as well, trying to get as close to the side walk as possible. As I did, the upper corner of the trailer snagged one of the balconies. Kinda ruined my mellow breakfast plans for a while.
A good many towns these days have hanging flower baskets, seasonal or welcome flags or banners attached to power poles along their streets. Particularly if you have a large, tall rig you need to be particularly aware of those as they are not always positioned with vehicles like that in mind. Over-hanging tree branches are hazards in many residential neighborhoods.
Some towns and many parking lots, for reasons I can only imagine, have huge iron posts between parking spots. Some of those are only a couple of feet high. And guess what? They don't even stick up higher than the back bumper! So unless you have scouted the area ahead of time or have outfitted your rig with a backup camera, you will not be able to see them while backing up. This is true in some campgrounds as well. Though with those, it is often a big rock landscape feature or a low to the ground water outlet that snags the unsuspecting rig while parking.
One thing is for sure. None of these landscapes is going to change to accommodate you; so it behooves one to remember at all times that your rig is more than your front and back bumper—it is a three dimensional object maneuvering in a three dimensional space. That will keep you out of trouble most of the time.
Some of you have surely discovered blind spots that I have not covered here. Why not do your fellow Rvers a favor by leaving a comment regarding it below. It only takes a few seconds to register (registration helps keep spammers out of the blogs.) Rest assured YOU will not be spammed by us or any third party by doing so.
Until next time, walk in beauty and keep it between the ditches,
Russel
It seems to me that there are two things, those who have never driven an RV fail to understand. Number one, especially if you have a tow vehicle, that your turning radius, the amount of space it requires you to turn, is much longer and wider than in just an ordinary vehicle. And two, it takes you a much farther distance to stop, even at slow speeds.
The second one results in being “cut off” (as the expression goes) by vehicles moving into your lane in front of you. Their vehicle's length is deemed by them a reasonable amount of space between you. But you know the moment they are there it is not if either of you had to stop suddenly. The only solution is for you to adjust your speed in order to increase the interval between you. That interval between vehicles is something that seems to be mostly ignored. Often times resulting in being tailgated as well. There is a time tested method for determining that as you drive along. Pick some stationary object, like a sign beside the road and begin counting slowly (one thousand one, one thousand two etc.) when the vehicle ahead of you passes it. Then take note what number you are on when you pass it. Anything less than a slow three probably means you are too close. For larger rigs one should adjust that number upwards.
Perhaps the biggest blind spot of all is one that many people do not even consider—blind spots IN OUR ATTENTION – talking on cell phones, hands free or hand held. Studies have shown that the speed at which you react is up to 40% slower when doing so. Talking on the phone involves using the same part of the brain as driving. So as with most multitasking, one or the other, if not both, of the things being done is going to suffer. It is almost as if by doing so, you are driving with only one eye open. Of course there is a great and easy solution to this problem—JUST DO NOT DO IT! The life you save could be your own!
These things seem like Driver's Ed 101, but judging from behavior on most roads many people got out of that class (or skipped it) long ago.
That addresses blind spots while we are driving. The other place blind spots are an issue is when we are parking or backing up, A few things can lead to some wicked dings in the rig and insurance claims from property owners.
One of the worse cases I ever experienced was in a small California town up in the gold country named Tuolumne County, which had chosen to maintain the authentic look and feel of an early western town by leaving the wooden awnings and balconies that covered the sidewalks on many of their buildings. It was early morning and I was on my way to breakfast. One whole side of the street a short distance from the restaurant had no one else parked on it. So I pulled right on over, the street was narrow as well, trying to get as close to the side walk as possible. As I did, the upper corner of the trailer snagged one of the balconies. Kinda ruined my mellow breakfast plans for a while.
A good many towns these days have hanging flower baskets, seasonal or welcome flags or banners attached to power poles along their streets. Particularly if you have a large, tall rig you need to be particularly aware of those as they are not always positioned with vehicles like that in mind. Over-hanging tree branches are hazards in many residential neighborhoods.
Some towns and many parking lots, for reasons I can only imagine, have huge iron posts between parking spots. Some of those are only a couple of feet high. And guess what? They don't even stick up higher than the back bumper! So unless you have scouted the area ahead of time or have outfitted your rig with a backup camera, you will not be able to see them while backing up. This is true in some campgrounds as well. Though with those, it is often a big rock landscape feature or a low to the ground water outlet that snags the unsuspecting rig while parking.
One thing is for sure. None of these landscapes is going to change to accommodate you; so it behooves one to remember at all times that your rig is more than your front and back bumper—it is a three dimensional object maneuvering in a three dimensional space. That will keep you out of trouble most of the time.
Some of you have surely discovered blind spots that I have not covered here. Why not do your fellow Rvers a favor by leaving a comment regarding it below. It only takes a few seconds to register (registration helps keep spammers out of the blogs.) Rest assured YOU will not be spammed by us or any third party by doing so.
Until next time, walk in beauty and keep it between the ditches,
Russel
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Author: Russel Micnhimer
