10/01/2026
Heavy Goods Vehicles , buses and coaches are not being awkward when they use more than one lane at junctions.
They are doing what physics and vehicle design demand.
An articulated lorry can be up to 16.5 metres long.
The trailer does not follow the same path as the cab.
The rear wheels cut the corner.
If space is not left, something gets hit.
Junctions and turns
When an HGV approaches a left or right turn, it may position wide and use two lanes.
This is not lane hogging.
It is to stop the trailer mounting kerbs, striking signs, or crushing anything that slips alongside.
If you squeeze into the gap you think exists, you are placing your car exactly where the trailer will swing.
That gap is not for you.
It is for the trailer.
Traffic lights and stop lines
Stopping tight up to the stop line can block an HGV’s turning arc.
If the lights change and the lorry cannot complete the turn, everyone gets stuck.
Stopping a little further back gives them room to clear the junction safely.
You lose seconds.
They avoid damage or injury.
Roundabouts
Many HGVs need more than one lane on roundabouts, especially smaller or tighter ones.
They may straddle lanes or appear to take an unusual position.
This is deliberate and planned.
Trying to nip past on the inside is one of the most common causes of car/lorry collisions on roundabouts.
If you cannot see the driver in their mirror, they cannot see you at all.
Signals matter
HGV indicators are early and deliberate.
They are not suggestions.
They are warnings of where a very large vehicle is about to move.
Ignoring them because you think you can beat the lorry through the gap is gambling with your safety.
The squeeze problem
How many times do we see a driver forcing themselves into a space that was never designed for a car?
The outcome is predictable:
🛑 Crushed doors
🛑 Scraped trailers
🛑 Cars spun or pinned
🛑 Drivers saying “they did not see me”
The lorry did nothing wrong.
The space was never yours.
The simple rule
If an HGV is turning:
Stay back
Stay visible
Give space
Let them finish the manoeuvre
Driving around HGVs requires patience, not bravery.
Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring
