There's nothing wrong with the message (as such) for riders not to go down the side of high-sided vehicles. This is not only owing to left-turn danger, but also because there's a danger of riders getting crushed against guard rail by such vehicles, even if they're not turning, but merely adjusting their position in the lane. We have had a programme of guard rail removal in London, which has reduced the latter danger, but riders can still get injured in such collisions even without guard rail. Conveying the message is simple prevention of potentially fatal crashes, which is a Good Thing.
The question is about the way in which this message is conveyed. Much has been said about that, so no need to add much more, but suffice to say that commands don't work, explaining the issue to as many people as possible is helpful, riders shouldn't be the only party suspected of being to blame in this, and the stickers shouldn't appear on vehicles where they have no business being.
Charlie will be able to say more about the 'blind spot' myth, but basically there are no real 'blind spots', only 'hard to see' spots. This is something which needs to be partly addressed through vehicle design, see the LCC's Lorry for London:
There's nothing wrong with the message (as such) for riders not to go down the side of high-sided vehicles. This is not only owing to left-turn danger, but also because there's a danger of riders getting crushed against guard rail by such vehicles, even if they're not turning, but merely adjusting their position in the lane. We have had a programme of guard rail removal in London, which has reduced the latter danger, but riders can still get injured in such collisions even without guard rail. Conveying the message is simple prevention of potentially fatal crashes, which is a Good Thing.
The question is about the way in which this message is conveyed. Much has been said about that, so no need to add much more, but suffice to say that commands don't work, explaining the issue to as many people as possible is helpful, riders shouldn't be the only party suspected of being to blame in this, and the stickers shouldn't appear on vehicles where they have no business being.
Charlie will be able to say more about the 'blind spot' myth, but basically there are no real 'blind spots', only 'hard to see' spots. This is something which needs to be partly addressed through vehicle design, see the LCC's Lorry for London:
http://www.no-more-lethal-lorries.org.uk/