{"id":2753,"date":"2016-09-12T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-09-11T18:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/?p=2753"},"modified":"2020-01-21T07:33:09","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T18:33:09","slug":"overtaking-a-long-vehicle-thats-turning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/overtaking-a-long-vehicle-thats-turning\/","title":{"rendered":"Overtaking a long vehicle that’s turning"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s the meaning of swept path?<\/h2>\n

When a long vehicle turns a corner the rear wheels follow a path with a tighter arc than the front wheels as the trailer is pulled around. The area between the innermost wheel’s path and the outermost wheel’s path is called the swept path<\/strong> and it means that the driver must position the vehicle wider on the approach to the corner so that the trailer wheels are not dragged across a kerb, hits street furniture<\/a>, or (worse) the trailer itself hits a pedestrian\u00a0on the inside of the curve.<\/p>\n

\"Swept<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For some very sharp turns into a narrow street or driveway, a long vehicle might need to move to the adjacent lane to give enough space to make the turn. This is why trucks over a certain length cannot\u00a0use some roads which are narrow and have sharp corners.\u00a0This doesn’t only include intersections, but also roundabouts (especially mini-roundabouts). A truck going straight ahead or turning right may need to use two lanes.<\/p>\n

Side underrun protection<\/h2>\n

The fact that the heavy vehicle moves across a lane can sometimes confuse and catch out drivers following it. Long vehicles have blind spots that make it harder to see smaller road users like cyclists. They begin to overtake and the truck turns, leaving them with no place to go but under the wheels of the trailer. This has caused many deaths for cyclists<\/a> and motorcyclists, so much so that in the UK it is now mandatory for trucks to have barriers (“side underrun protection<\/strong>“) between the rear wheels and the landing gear (legs)\u00a0for an articulated vehicle or the rear wheels and front wheels for a rigid vehicle to stop cyclists and motorcyclists falling under the wheels in these occasions.<\/p>\n

\"articulated

Articulated truck in the UK showing the trailer guard rail<\/p><\/div>\n

\"rigid

Rigid truck showing guard rail between the rear wheel and the cab<\/p><\/div>\n

Road position at intersections<\/h2>\n

Motorists can help at intersections by stopping at or behind the line so that turning heavy vehicles can turn in more easily and issues like the off-tracking strike shown below don’t happen.<\/p>\n

\"Off-tracking

The trailer is at risk of hitting a vehicle waiting to turn out of the intersection<\/p><\/div>\n

Safety signage<\/h2>\n

Long vehicles that might need to make these types of turns can have extra signage on the back to remind drivers.<\/p>\n

\"do

Red and yellow signs on either side of the trailer remind drivers not to overtake<\/p><\/div>\n

Swing out<\/h2>\n

Swing out can occur when a trailer has a long overhang behind the rearmost wheels. The back of the trailer follows a wider arc than the wheels and can hit objects or people standing close to the kerb.<\/p>\n

\"Swing<\/p>\n

This video from Australia explains the concepts.<\/p>\n