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Sat next to a retired trucker at a diner and he explained why I keep getting brake checked
I was eating breakfast at a Love's off I-40 last Tuesday and this older guy, 50+ years hauling, told me my following distance looks fine to me but looks like tailgating from a big rig because they see over my car. He said if I can't see both their side mirrors in my windshield, they can't see me at all. Never heard that before but tried it on the drive home and nobody flashed their hazards at me once. Anyone else get advice from a stranger that actually fixed a driving habit?
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the_alice20d ago
Spent years riding my bike in city traffic and learned the hard way that if you can't see a trucker's face in their mirror they definitely can't see you. Tucking up right behind them in their blind spot is basically invisible mode.
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felix_hayes6417d ago
Wait is that actually true with the mirror thing? I always figured you just had to leave a full car length.
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@the_alice is spot on with the bike thing, that's actually how I learned it too but in a car. Funny enough the trucker told me the same rule applies for your windshield - if you can see their whole side mirror and that gap between your hood and their bumper, they can see you just fine. I started keeping that "mirror gap" visible at all times and haven't had a single truck flash their brights or brake check me since. It's weird how such a simple thing makes the whole drive smoother.
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