Reversing trends
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Some drivers believe reversing aids to be expensive luxuries. Happy not to invest, many operators are quick to agree. But sales of reversing-aid systems for trucks ar on the increase—and not just because operators have become more safety conscious. Steve McQueen reports.
Fitting a reversing aid on the back of your truck could save more than the •cost of a damaged bumper. It might prevent serious injury and it could save a life. There are some who believe that in the future, it could help keep operators and transport managers out of jail.
Chris Hanson-Abbott, chairman of Brigade Electronics, is in no doubt that if legislation in this country was changed to include "corporate killing' law—the equivalent of a company manslaughter charge—an operator responsible for running a truck with no reversing safety aid could end up facing such a charge in the wake of a fatal reversing accident.
Corporate killing
He reckons that "corporate killing is a crime and the new Government has now recognised this," adding that "we still come across companies deciding to fit reversing safety sy stems only after an accident has ot.t urted." Under such legislation, the buck would go straight to the top and company directors who failed to take heed would "risk penalties and even a jail sentence following a fatality consequent upon a deficiency in safety systems," he continues.
Brigade Electronics is a Londonbased company which claims an 80% share of the reversing systems equipment sales market in the UK. Products include the CCTV-based system Back-Eye and the audible voice warning system, known as the Backchat.
Hanson-Abbott says the UK is currently purchasing between 1.1 and 1.2 million reversing bleepers every year for its vehicles. While this figure has remained fairly constant over the last few years, TV-based systems are being bought at a rate of between 4,000 and 5,000 units a year. • "Sales are significantly increasing. Last year they were between 3,000 and 4,000 units and the year before, bet kteen 2,000 and 3,000," says Him-Ain-Abbot. Prices for these systems have fallen and CV operators ale increasingly recognising them as an effective driver's tool, rather than as an expensive luxury. ye good reason. Last year, a ommercial vehicle accidents out by Huddersfield y, in conjunction with roup brake and insurance Alexander & Alexander, revealing results. It gave a of accidents at one home ompany with a fleet of 250 these 31% involved striking rs and fixed objects like , while 30% were reversing In a second study, a multi n delivery operator with a 0 vehicles, found SO% of its vere in similar categories.
ome drivers might believe aids to be an imposition on ersing skills, a growing f vehicle operators—and stomers—have already ey are indispensable.
'ding which kind of system you can be onerous. What k for?
g to Hanson-Abbot, CCTV have definite advantages tains the increase in sales: rsing bleeper is merely a he rear which acts as a o the third party that the reversing. Cameras are ounted high up at an angle of 45 degrees, so that the bottom of the picture shows the rear of the vehicle, while the top of the screen provides an almost horizontal view. TV systems enable the driver to see everything behind him, across the bumper and to an infinite distance behind," says Hanson-Abbott.
Dino Mercurio, managing director of automotive equipment supplier Groenveld UK, takes a different perspective. His company markets Greensight, a non CCTV-based system with a "smart sensor" which only activates a warning sound if an obstruction is detected.
He says the quality of the CCTV image can be compromised by varying degrees of light. Positioning a camera so that glare is reduced can impair its all-round vision. Moreover, its location high on the rear of the vehicle can sometimes be problematical—making it susceptible to damage and reducing the lifespan of the camera. He agrees that a non-vision detector picks up the nearest object while a camera sees all of the objects within its field of vision, but argues that relying on the image provided by the monitor can be a serious flaw. "If the driver concentrates solely on the monitor, he might miss things at the side. A major advantage of a non-vision system is that the driver must still use the mirrors and be aware of the environment around him. It does not remove any responsibility from the driver who has to continually check his mirrors on either side. It is Ian aid to reversing." Other factors can influence product selection. Turners (Soham) opted for a Proximeter reversing bleeper system. Operations manager Paul Preston says on farm collections, bleepers have to be loud. Their use provides a comfort factor for both driver and farm worker—and any children. Nine bulk liquid farm collection tankers operated for MD Foods have been fitted with Proximeters and since their introduction rear bumper damage has been eradicated.
Residents
At the Bardon (England) quarry at West Drayton, local residents objected to the volume of a different kind of bleeper. Reversing aids are mandatory by company decree, but the bleepers fitted to the vehicles of the owner-drivers were a problem. The sound these produced was so penetrating that they could be heard in houses a few miles away. Switching off bleepers can compromise safety and back in May 1997, CM reported on how the company was prepared to subsidise the fitting of CCTV-based systems costing up to 400 per vehicle in order to pacify the residents. However, a local driver saved the day.
Bleepers
"He developed a bleeper which you can hear less, the further away you are. We had trials on the site with local councillors. We had the residents about two miles away. We first tried one of the old bleepers—the residents could hear it. We put a new one on and they couldn't. This bleeper cost around £40 a lorry, which was fantastic."
Fantastic can be the size of the insurance claim if vowservice vehicle reverses into an aeroplane on the runway. Rod England, director of Preston-based system supplier ControLazer, says that a growing number of airport-based operators have taken the safety first approach. "Our CCTV systems are required for load positioning so that the vehicle without driving into it."
Up to three cameras may be mounted externally on the body. Alternatively, a camera can be placed internally to monitor the load—or passengers if a PCV is involved.
Utopia sales manager Mick Whatton tells a similar tale, but adds that at least one truck operator is using a Utopia camera-based system for time and motion studies. "The camera is positioned inside the cab, viewing the driver as well as out through the windscreen. There's no monitor for it, just a link to a 24-hour VCR. It records the driver's whole 12-hour day to assess productivity and cut costs."
Where reversing safely can be assisted by instructions from behind, the Sony system marketed by Rear Vision Systems could be invaluable. It is fitted with a microphone. "It gives the driver an extra sense to rely on, another line of defence" says sales director Simon Gardiner. He says this is a particularly useful accessory for cashin-transit drivers where surveillance and security are paramount.
Voice message
Security vehicles commonly use reversing alarms which speak and Brigade Electronics supplies one such version. It carries a brief three-second voice message which can be supplied by the user. The soundbite is then is put on a chip and built into the unit. Brigade Electronics says female voices are best, because they carry better.
Users can choose any message they wish and Brigade Electronics says it can be used to both give a warning and raise the profile of the company. So, listen out for magazine delivery vans bearing the message: "Vehicle reversing, Commercial Motor being delivered!"
WHAT'S AVAILABLE 4. Rear Vision Systems supplies Sony equipment and its Watchcam CCTV-based system has been sold in the UK for six years. It contains a built-in microphone which enables the driver to hear as well as view what's ping an behind. Systems can be connected for automatic operation when reversing. Wideye is an in-house designed, low-cost version. Two sizes of monitor are available and RVS says they "enable the owner-driver to fit this sort of equipment rather than just the INTs of this world. In effect, the Wideye helps us all remain safe," says the company.
Rear Vision Systems: 0118 9819958 • Utopia supplies Third Eye in-cab rear viewing systems. The camera is boxed in a die-cast rugged aluminium case with a heavy-duty bracl(et. The cab monitor switches from day to night time viewing modes. The system comes complete with cabling and weatherproof connectors and can be wired for permanent operation or set to activate on reverse gear selection.
Utopia: 01923 627373
Klaxcar UK is one of the newest names to the market, but the products are well established. It supplies heavy duty electric and loudspeaker-type "intelligent" alarms which automatically adjust their sound level to 10 decibels above ambient levels. A budget range is also available and the company also supplies Backtronic, an ultrasonic reversing aid desigied for heavy trucks which provide an audible and visual warning inside the cab. Sound levels increase as the vehicle comes closer to any obstruction. Klaxcar UK: 01527 504200 + Preen entered the UK market in 1995, but claims to have invented the world's first back-up alarm in the 115 in the early 1950s. There, it supplies more than 800.000 units per year. It currently offers around 28 deferent systems for trucks, plant and materials handling equipment, including sound adjustable models to prevent noise nuisance. A recent extension to the range includes the model 240 which can be rigged for night silent running, so that the alarm is automatically immobilised when the vehicle's tail or running lights are illuminated. Preen: 01707 872535 10. ControLazer is an on-board system for trucks, buses and coaches which combines rear view assistance with improved visibility of either a load or a passenger compartment It can use high definition cameras, slimline monitors and digital on-board recorders which provide a high speed digital storage medium (ie no tapes to change). Simple to install and built to military standards, up to three cameras can be used. "A" post mounting gives a simultaneous
image with vehicle mirrors, optional heater facility prevents misting, whiile an optional infrared facility improves low light visibility. tontroLazer: 01524 752145 Backeye is a purpose-built yet affordable rearview CCTV system for trucks, buses and coaches supplied by Brigade Electronics. Built to withstand the shock and vibration levels of normal road-going vehicles, it features black and white monitors with two camera inputs. This means you can have one on the back and one mounted elsewhere----such as the loading hatch or passenger doorway on buses. There is a day/night dim switch, brightness and contrast controls and a normal/mirror picture facility switch. Cameras include a built-in heater to prevent misting and are dust and waterproof to IP67, which means they can be steam-cleaned or pressure hosed. Backchat is the talking Maim. Reversing bleepers are also supplied.
The highly sensitive Proximeter is activated when reverse gear is selected, emitting a slow intermittent bleep which indicates to the driver that nothing is close behind the vehicle. As the driver reverses towards an obstnrciion, the bleep becomes faster and faster until a continuous sound is heard. An external horn is offered as an optional extra. This is synchronised with the bleeper to give pedestrians a signal which becomes progressively insistent—and therefore more effective, says the company—as the vehicle approaches. It can be switched off at night Brigade Electronics: 0181 852 3261
Croeneveld supplies Creensight, a system which uses ultra-sonic sound sensors to indicate the decreasing distance between the vehicle and an obstacle at the rear. Once reverse gear is selected, a cab-mounted LED or an arrangement of trailer-mounted signal lamps indicate that an obstruction at the rear is inside one of three precisely determined zones, each of which is three metres long. LED and signal lamps are colour-coded so that the driver is warned immediately and aware of the remaining distance. An "intelligent" sensor means a 5leep is only heard if an obstruction is present. It also adjusts the volume according to the background noise. Self cleaning and testing functions ensure the sensors always operate at full capacity.
Croeneveld: 01509 211085