Pedestrians and Cyclists: Know Your Responsibilities Around Heavy Trucks

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Knowledge of truck’s blind spots is also important for those walking or cycling close to commercial trucks and buses, as you want to stay away from their blind spots and make sure you have been seen.

Avoid walking behind a truck and remember that, unlike cars or city buses, large trucks also have a very big blind spot at the front, so pedestrians should avoid crossing too close in front of heavy trucks.

If you can’t establish eye contact with the driver of a large truck, you should assume they don’t see you and may not hear you even if you were to use your voice to get noticed.

It is recommended that cyclists leave plenty of room if you are stopped behind a large vehicle. When the driver of a large vehicle releases the brakes after being stopped, the vehicle may roll back. Cyclist should also never attempt to pass a large truck on the right since large trucks will often need to make wider turns than other vehicles when turning right.

By Melanie Trottier, Road Safety Marketing Planner, MTO