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Safer Lorry Scheme Fiasco - Blind Spots Still Blind

04 September 2015 | Updated 01 January 1970
 

The Safer Lorry scheme, effective in London from September, will mandate fitment on lorries of newly specified standard mirrors but one firm says the new measures will still leave blind-spots

 

Under the Safer Lorry Scheme all lorries over 3.5 tonnes will be banned from the capital until they are fitted with Class V (side close proximity) and Class V1 (front projection) mirrors and sideguards. Extended view mirrors are designed to improve the driver’s field of view and reduce blind spots, says Transport for London (TfL). Lorries are involved in a disproportionate number of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities says TfL with HGVs accounting for nine out of fourteen cyclist deaths in 2013 in London alone.

A spokesperson from SteerSafe says: "Admirable as the Scheme is, as long as there are blind spots a zero-tolerance policy is futile and cyclists will continue to die. Considering the current renaissance in cycling this trend is set to escalate unless the driver, the focal point of the problem, is equipped with ergonomically optimised means to avoid collision with anyone and anything.

 

Information Overload

"This is the driver’s primary problem; information overload creates a major hazard. "Every extra item to watch, to listen to, to consider, to react to or to ignore puts extra demand on driver attention. Every mirror, every monitor image, every buzzer, beeper, speaker, hooter, warning light, dashboard instrument including, particularly, speedometer, every road sign, other traffic, pedestrians, particularly vulnerable road users - each adds extra load to a driver’s attention until the final straw breaks the camel’s back. All too frequently somebody dies.

"The Safer Lorry Scheme, all very well in theory with its criss-crossing sightlines, its multiple cameras displaying multiple images on multiple screens, its acoustic warnings demanding attention to one sensor detection after another - is prone to overwhelm a driver in sole charge of a heavy wheeled load travelling on a crowded road. Something’s got to give.

"Visual images from multiple sources at once can be very confusing and take a long time to process. Multiple mirrors, multiple monitor screens from assorted camera positions and angles are apt to disorientate the driver and even cause dizziness. There is scant evidence in the Safer Lorry Scheme that driver ergonomics have been considered at all.

 

Blind Spot Triumph

"The Scheme’s drafting committee is evidently unaware of the latest 360-technology, already on the market for two years, which solves the blind-spot problem at a stroke. Mini-cameras mounted at the top four corners of a vehicle’s body display on a cab-mounted monitor a continuous bird’s eye surround view of a wide footprint all-round the vehicle. A split-second glance reveals any hazard instantly. No more multiple mirrors, split screen monitors, much reduced information overload and, vitally, no blind spots."

Picture: Is there a simpler solution to the safer Lorry Scheme already in place?

Article written by Robin Snow | Published 04 September 2015

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