Posted: July 2010
According to the Department for Transport, more than half of all cyclist deaths in London are caused by collisions with goods vehicles due to the nearside blind spot. Keltbray, the largest specialist demolition and civil engineering contractor in the UK, has adopted a range of safety measures to combat this problem, including a number of Brigade Electronics’ safety devices.
Keltbray controls a fleet of 32 tipper lorries, taking waste to be recycled or restored, or to specialist landfill sites. Each tipper weighs around 32 tonnes, and the length and height of each tipper creates huge blind spots, particularly to the rear and nearside.
Many road users, particularly cyclists, are unaware of the driver blind spot at the nearside of a HGV and fail to position themselves correctly at junctions and roundabouts, leading to serious accidents.
Keltbray fitted Brigade’s Sidescan® ultrasonic obstacle detection systems to its entire fleet to detect anyone in the nearside blind spot, warning them when a vehicle is about to turn left, whilst also warning the driver.
The four sensors were fitted along the bottom of the cab to the nearside, with a Backchat speaker (real speech warning alarm) fitted behind the cab. The sensors are linked to the left indicator, providing a visual and audible warning to the driver when anything is detected in the danger zone, plus a spoken message alarm warning pedestrians and cyclists that the vehicle is about to turn left. The dual function system alerts both parties to the hazard, allowing them to take avoiding action.
‘By fitting Sidescan®, we are achieving a very high standard of health and safety on public highways both for Keltbray and other road users.’ Adrian Scott, Haulage Operations Director, Keltbray
