Swing It, Boy.

[SteveLS400]

Again, similar to leaning post.

Why does the panel thing it is necessary for drivers of PLG vehicles to swing out say left, before turning in the opposite direction?

[Redsteve]

Again, similar to leaning post.

Why does the panel thing it is necessary for drivers of PLG vehicles to swing out say left, before turning in the opposite direction?

Hello Steve,

I drive a medium sized van.

Sometimes it is necessary to swing out wide to increase your turning circle, if you just turned straight into the bend as a car driver would the back wheels of the van would hit the apex of the bend.

Sometimes, even if there is enough room to turn into a driveway I will still swing out wide so the van mounts the pavement as straight as possible. If you mount even the flat part of the pavement at an angle it can cause the van to rock from side to side which doesn't feel nice for the driver and it puts the cargo at risk of moving around in the van.

Redsteve.

[Lance]

I drive a truck for a living, the trailer alone is 45 feet long. That's three, maybe four car lengths.

I get the WTF look all the time when I have to move way over to the right in order to turn left, if I was not to do this then the trailer wheels would simply flatten the traffic light / sign / pedestrian or whatever that was on the corner.

Then sometimes some idiot will think that its okay to drive up the left side of my vehicle just before I turn. If you do that it is also a recipe for disaster for the car for they too will be squashed under the truck's wheels

So, if you see a truck in the right hand lane with his left indicator on then stay well back and don't sneak up his left side, he'll only be too happy to squash you!

[Stacey5426]

When it comes to vehicles that are vans or larger I fully understand the swing right to turn left, been in many vans and lorries and understand why the driver needs too.... what gets my goat is when CAR drivers do it, on some tight roads fair enough but generally they swiung right to turn left when there really is no need.

Nearly had a car swing into my side a couple of weeks ago on a dual carriage way, they decided (on a very large open junction) to swing right before turning left, if we had been 2 foot further on they would have hit the passenger side which had me in the front and my step daughter in back.

Ahhhhhhh rant over!