I can see clearly now: driver turns on Lights
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By Kevin Swallow
LGV DRIVER Jim Thomson had a lightbulb moment when he was driving an artic through a busy but unlit area at night, and couldn't see down the sides of his trailer. "I realised just how dangerous the situation was," he said. He has since designed and patented the Jimmy Beam Down Light (JBDL), a one-watt light system, which can be fitted to semi-trailers, that illuminates the surrounding ground under a vehicle. "The road transport industry has welcomed the innovation, with some parcel carriers and
supermarkets trialling the system on their extensive fleets of trailers," said Thomson.
JBDL establishes the exact position of the vehicle in conjunction with the presence or movement of pedestrians, cyclists or other road users in close proximity, he explained.
"For the driver looking in the mirror down the side of the vehicle and the trailer, the view [is usually just] dark shadows. Fewer lit roads will make visibility increasingly difficult for the driver," Thomson added. "It also offers an increased visible presence of the side view of the subject to other road users when driving in poor visibility or thick fog."