I’ve been driving a van for a couple of years now, but I’m much more used to driving a car. My van is heavier and has much less power than my car and I sometimes have trouble merging onto fast roads so I’m looking for any insight from more experienced van drivers.
I don’t have rear windows or a rearview mirror (only side mirrors) so visibility isn’t always great. The van’s also pretty slow, so I’m usually only going 50-60mph as I merge. This isn’t a problem on motorways because the slip roads are so long I can plan my spot to merge easily enough. On dual carriageways where the slip roads can be really short, it feels like all I can do is put my foot down and hope. There’s sometimes only a few seconds where the sliproad and main road are lined up such that I can see traffic in my mirrors, and by then I’m pretty much stuck at whatever speed my poor van has given with my foot to the floor.
Bigger and heavier vehicles than mine merge safely all the time, so I must be missing something. I’m also fairly inexperienced with such slip roads because there are no examples near me. I only encounter them a couple of times a year.
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How good are your side mirrors? If you don’t have big ass mirrors with fish eyes you need to get some. I do a lot of driving vans/trucks and I always make sure my mirrors are spot on for visibility.
Also there is a certain element of tonnage wins. Set yourself up for the merge indicate your intent with your turn signal and then execute the merge. I don’t want you to think you need to be dangerous when you drive. But it is not unreasonable to expect other drivers to give you room to merge. If you are feeling timid and don’t make it clear that you will be merging they will not make room. But if you signal and make it clear that you will be needing a little space. Most drivers are good enough to understand that you are doing your best and just need a little room.
This is what I mean by big ass mirrors. You can see the fish eye mirror on the bottom. They will give you great visibility. If you don’t have them you can get add on tow mirrors. Second picture
Hey, thanks for the reply. My mirrors are huge, it’s one of the things that’s better in the van. I find it easier to park than my car!
What you’ve said resonates with me, in that I do rely on others to give me room when merging. It just doesn’t feel right because I’m used to being in a nimble little car where I can speed up or slow down much easier.
Good shout on the towing mirrors though. I have little fish-eye stick-ons which came with the van and do help, so when I’m in town next I’ll see about getting something more substantial for that little bit of extra visibility. Thanks for the advice
You welcome glad it helped
Yeah you just have to get over feeling like it is bad to ask for the space you need. Have you ever seen a big bouncer move though a crowd. Don’t even see them pushing but you see them just taking the space they need and people just get out of the way, just start thinking like that. There have been times I have been driving a big truck and trailer when I just have to take space, there is no other option.
Getting bigger fish eye mirrors will definitely help if all you have is the stick on ones. Your main mirror should look behind you. With just the very rear corner of the van in the mirror as a reference point. The fish eye mirror covers the whole side of the van and gives you visibility to see the lane next to you for switching lanes.
Couldn’t find any mirrors better than what I already have, but I had a chance at a couple of tricky merges recently. I took your advice on being a bit more confident and I was able to pick my spot better and communicate more clearly to other drivers. I think that internalising that I’m not in a car has helped. Thanks again :)
I don’t think it really felt different when I was driving a van for work than my normal car because most of the on-ramps here are only like 10 feet long or on a windy curve you can’t really go faster than 30mph on. Just stay defensive and use your mirrors. I have a class A and have driven busses, too; same shit. Not much you can do except be cautious and constantly check your mirrors. Eventually you’ll get comfortable.
