Top-quality vehicle safety solutions are vital for preventing incidents
Every job has a budget, whether it’s constructing a housing development or harvesting grain; wrestling with the cost of labor and materials within a set time scale is a familiar task for those in charge. It can be tempting to go for economy versions, such as a cheaper classification of steel. However, there’s one area in which cutting costs is not only unadvisable, but also has the potential to be extremely dangerous.
Has the Product Undergone Thorough Testing?
Top-quality vehicle safety solutions should have been produced within a closely controlled design and manufacturing process, with extensive R&D backed up by a proficient engineering team. Testing should be above and beyond the minimum standard. ISO 9001 is a good indication of a premium product. At Brigade, we’ve taken it a step further on products such as SideScan®Predict and Radar Predict; it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to test for compliance, but we called in independent assessors on top of this to demonstrate our confidence in our products.
What is the standard warranty?
A good example of vehicle safety equipment should have a minimum two-year warranty, and preferably three to five years, if not a lifetime guarantee. Easy warranty return policies indicate a company’s confidence in its products. Many of our products, such as our Camera Monitor Systems, have a five year warranty, and our White Noise Reversing Alarm has a lifetime one!
Does it Comply With Industry Standards?
ISO compliance helps fulfil the strict quality assurances demanded by OEMS while providing a product that customers can trust globally. Products should be tested to industry standards to ensure they can withstand the required environmental operating conditions. They should be further independently tested for a host of certifications to suit US and worldwide markets.
Is the product backed by expert technical support?
A manufacturer should offer installation assistance backed up by a dedicated sales and technical support team. Time is money – if a product breaks down you should be able to get on to the manufacturer immediately. Our aim is to answer the phone in eight seconds, and solve your problem within five minutes. Customer support should be readily available and show detailed knowledge; extended hours are also helpful.
The future of commercial vehicle safety solutions
At Brigade, we’ve been investing heavily in every aspect of our research & development and manufacturing process and the pricing of our products reflects this, so while they aren’t the cheapest, we will never cut corners on safety.
We’ve been developing cutting edge vehicle safety equipment with fusion sensor technology to combat the issue of limited visibility for vehicle operators due to blind spots. Traditional detection systems have been designed to report the location of a person or object from the vehicle based on distance. However, with our latest innovation (such as AI powered products) the operator alerts are based on risk level.
Areas of risk can be defined for up to six speed ranges and each detection is tracked to determine the length of time before a collision occurs. This provides relevant alerts, minimising alarm fatigue caused by the false positives of systems which only detect distance.
With higher resolution radar in our newest Backsense® 77 Ghz range, it became possible for software to track objects and determine the closing speed, essentially the ‘time to impact’. An object that is further away, but moving quickly towards a vehicle, might have a shorter time to impact (and be a much higher risk) compared to an object that is closer but stationary. Add to this the ability to map areas of risk based on speed, and it’s become possible for the radar to alert the operator of the risk level of a detected object rather than the distance.
This technology has the flexibility to include every solution the customer requires, including integrating with existing hardware and devices already fitted to the OEM’s machines. In addition, it has an off-the-shelf aftermarket solution, allowing customers to adjust the configuration to meet their requirements.
AI cameras are another state-of-the-art blind spot detection solution, and ideal safety equipment for vehicles. Using artificial intelligence, the cameras detect and recognize pedestrians within the pre-defined detection zone and reliably warn the driver visually and/or audibly of an impending collision. Image processing is built into the camera, meaning no other hardware is required.
Don’t compromise on vehicle safety solutions
Any product you choose to enhance the safety of your fleet should have undergone thorough testing and, even better, if they offer lifetime warranty then you can be assured of complete reliability. We never release a product until we are 100% confident it’s fit for purpose – one result of our painstaking R&D is that in over four decades we have never had a product recall.
It’s important not to settle for low quality vehicle safety solutions. Investigate the credibility of the safety devices you’re investing in and how they compare to their counterparts. The more time that’s been spent on developing and testing the product and including extra functionality, the less likely it is going to need replacing or upgrading in the near future and the more likely it is that your fleet safety isn’t compromised.
Above all, a responsible contractor will always put the health and safety of the workforce at the top of the priority list.
Contact Brigade
Would you like to contact Brigade Electronics? Please use one of the following options below.
Find Your Nearest Distributor
Brigade has a worldwide network of approved distributors and installers. Find the nearest one near you.
