Van driving, what to do when I can’t see left?

[j80jpw]

I do a fair few lot of miles in my lwb high top van, I go all over the country so often on roads I’ve never used and inevitably get to junctions where I physically can’t see left due to the road to the left coming from and accute angle and having no rear quarter view as in a car.

I can usually anticipate this type of junction as I clock them on the sat Nav and am able to position my van at an angle on the junction to enable myself to see. However in some occasions it’s just impossible to do so.

In the above situations there are usually only two options or is there something I’m missing?

The first is to very slowly edge out until can see it’s clear or until I can see a vehicle that has stopped to let me out.

The second is to check that the road to my right is clear and if so start to slowly move my van out to the right keeping it in the right hand lane so I can use my rear view mirror to see if it is clear from behind, if so proceed if not wait etc. However doing this can cause any traffic coming from the left to panic as they think I’m going to pull out on them and I’m not entirely sure if it is a “legal” manoeuvre.

The only other option I can think of is to turn left then find somewhere safer further up the road to turn around and continue however again from looking in the sat nav this could mean adding a lot of extra miles before finding somewhere suitable to do so.

[juan king]

do a handbrake turn then reverse out of the junction

[j80jpw]

Haha! Bugger, hadn’t thought of that!

[Pothole]

Cut a window in the side of the van (and a slot in the panel behind you if there is one)?

[BonzoG]

j80jpw said:

I can usually anticipate this type of junction as I clock them on the sat Nav and am able to position my van at an angle on the junction to enable myself to see. However in some occasions it’s just impossible to do so.

Not sure if you are already, but if necessary use the other side of the road to widen the turn and improve your angle to the left. i.e. swan-necking right out into the oncoming lane of the road you are trying to emerge from, paying attention to any traffic that might be turning in from the other road.

I found this helped a lot when I was driving LWB Movanos (terrible turning circle at the best of times) around the countryside, and it's not uncommon to see artics doing it as well (albeit sometimes due to turning circle rather than visibility).

Your other options all involve moving out into the other road in some way - so even edging out until you have a view in the left mirror puts you at risk of collecting an overtaking vehicle that you couldn't see.

[bluesmoke2stroke]

if you cant swing it wide and come to the junction being at 90 degrees to the road your entering then its wind down your windows and use your ears.
when you cant hear anything approaching,indicating, inch out on full lock till you can see.

[7mike]

If you can't swing out wide on approach then sharp (and slow) turn to the right; usually the lower, blind spot mirror will give the best view back up the road.

[normalbloke]

I have eased out onto the right hand side of the road, when clear to do so,slowly, so as to enable a view of the left hand side of the road in your n/s mirror and then moved back across when safe. Right or wrong, it was slow and as safe as I could make it without any outside assistance.

[freddytin]

Release your safety belt, slide forward and across to the passenger side. This should enable a safe view to the left .

[eskidavies]

^^^^^^^^^^
This is what I do ,

[j80jpw]

normalbloke said:

I have eased out onto the right hand side of the road, when clear to do so,slowly, so as to enable a view of the left hand side of the road in your n/s mirror and then moved back across when safe. Right or wrong, it was slow and as safe as I could make it without any outside assistance.

This is what I did earlier this week and what has raised the question in my mind since, I was wondering if strictly speaking I was in the wrong doing this.

[JagerT]

When approaching the junction floor it,that way you are in the danger area for the shortest possible time.

HTH

[vindaloo79]

could you get a £20 dash cam and angle it accordingly, the type that film as you go along....

[alicrozier]

My old Lotus Exige had no rear or 3/4 vision (but had a vestigial central rear view mirror from the Elise) so I would angle the central mirror so that it looked out of the passenger window at 45 degrees rearwards. This gave an option of pulling up at 45 deg to the junction.

I'm not sure if this will work with your van with angles and cabin width etc but worth trying?

[Haltamer]

JagerT said:

When approaching the junction floor it,that way you are in the danger area for the shortest possible time.

HTH

It is a van after all - A bit of rust on the arches and visible exhaust smoke and everyone will know that you have the right of way in any case.

For OP, Is there anywhere in the cabin you could mount a supplementary mirror, a-la driving instructor's mirror?

[Pica-Pica]

Stop at right angles to the road you are entering, also adjust the LH mirror to a wider angle, or buy a new wider angled LH mirror.
If you have electric mirrors, set the LH one to adjust, and change the angle on approach to these junctions if needed.

[LunarOne]

I hired a van recently - can't remember what it was, but the passenger sun visor was fitted with a huge slightly convex mirror. At first I wondered why the passenger would need such a big vanity mirror, but I quickly realised that it gives the driver the perfect 3/4 view out of the nearside for just such a junction - an example of which I happen to live near.

Perhaps your existing passenger sun visor mirror is big enough to help, or you could find some third party solution?

Oh look, I've found this, so my rental van was possibly a Vauxhall or a Renault:
http://www.whatvan.co.uk/what-van-awards/awards-20...

[Pica-Pica]

LunarOne said:

I hired a van recently - can't remember what it was, but the passenger sun visor was fitted with a huge slightly concave mirror. At first I wondered why the passenger would need such a big mirror, but I quickly realised that it gives the driver the perfect 3/4 view out of the nearside for just such a junction - an example of which I happen to live near.

Perhaps your existing passenger sun visor mirror is big enough to help, or you could find some third party solution?

Oh look, I've found this, so my rental van was possibly a Vauxhall or a Renault:
http://www.whatvan.co.uk/what-van-awards/awards-20...

Ha! Brilliant idea, assuming it works OK.

[LunarOne]

Pica-Pica said:

Ha! Brilliant idea, assuming it works OK.

It does! I thought it was brilliant too!

[j80jpw]

LunarOne said:

Pica-Pica said:

Ha! Brilliant idea, assuming it works OK.

It does! I thought it was brilliant too!

That is good, I know mine doesn’t have that but I’ll have a look and see if I can fit something in the same location! 👍🏼