Blind Spots: Where Drivers Can't See You
Students map the blind spots of a pretend car and a pretend truck on the playground, then ride bikes practicing how to stay out of those zones when a vehicle turns. They learn cyclist and pedestrian traffic safety through firsthand experience.
How to play
- Set up two driver seats: a chair on the ground for the car and a chair on a table for the truck cab, each with two classmates holding hand mirrors at the sides.
- The driver looks only forward and in the mirrors; everyone else walks slowly around and freezes when the driver says "I can't see you" (8 min).
- Chalk every invisible spot until you have outlined each vehicle's blind spots, then compare them.
- Rotate so at least 8 students sit in the driver's seat and see what they miss (4 min).
- Bike practice (8 min): the pretend truck makes a right turn at a cone intersection, and riders learn to wait behind it, not beside it.
- Wrap-up (3 min): each student names one rule they'll use when biking or walking near a truck or bus.
Rules
- Students circling the driver walk slowly and stay more than 3 feet from the table.
- No one gets on the table except the driver, helped by the teacher.
- During bike practice, helmets are buckled and speed stays at walking pace.
- The pretend vehicle moves at a walk and stops if a rider enters its blind spot.
Variations
Easier
Map only the car's blind spots and discuss them without bike practice.
Standard
Compare car and truck and practice waiting behind the turning truck.
Harder
Add a bus with two mirrors and a pedestrian crossing, and have groups design a safety poster.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student serves as driver or travels the outline in a wheelchair marking the zones.
- Visual impairment: a partner describes the zones and walks them with the student to feel the distances.
- Shy students or autism: the student can handle chalk marking and data recording.
Learning goals
- Identify the blind spots of different vehicles.
- Use safe riding behavior next to large vehicles.
- Understand traffic risk from the driver's point of view.
Equipment for a class of 25
- chairs: 2
- hand mirrors: 4
- cones: 20
- chalk: 8
- bikes: 6
- helmets: 6
Teacher tip
Hold the truck table yourself and check it's stable before anyone sits on it. Students' surprise at how big the truck's blind spot is makes the best moment for discussion.
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