Arclid aims to eliminate commercial vehicle blind spots07 April 2011
Arclid Transport has developed a proprietary left-side visibility system that could solve the problem of blind spots on trucks for good
The firm has reversing cameras fitted to its vehicles, linked to a 7in monitor in the cab, but Arclid transport manager Peter Conway says he was also keen to develop its commercial vehicle safety systems further.
With the help of Heler Electrical, Arclid has unveiled the Blind Spot Eliminator, which links a sensor, a camera and an audible alarm to the existing monitor, to ensure that drivers are always aware of any vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist on their left.
"The safety of HGVs relies not only on safe driving inside the cab but also on good safety awareness from other road users," explains Conway.
"Last year's incident [when one of Arclid's vehicles was famously involved in an incident caused by an under-taking manoeuvre by a car] brought it home to us that you cannot always rely on other road users to be sufficiently cautious near HGVs or understand the visibility restrictions."
The Blind Spot Eliminator works via a sensor installed in the near-side bumper bar. When the driver indicates left, if the sensor picks up any kind of object on the left of the vehicle, a camera located on the passenger side mirror switches on and sends live pictures to the in-cab monitor, located in the sun visor area.
At the same time, an audible alarm sounds in the cab to alert the driver to the potential hazard, ensuring that he is prompted to look at the monitor and ensure the manoeuvre is safe before moving left.
The innovation from Arclid comes in the wake of new proposals from the EU to make mandatory reductions to trailer sizes across the EU for safety reasons.
Author
Brian Tinham
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