Driving Safely in Built-Up and Congested Areas

Trying to manoeuvre a large vehicle around a built up or congested area is one of the most difficult tasks for any driver. Having to negotiate parked cars on both sides of the road, wheelie bins put out for the collection and narrow streets present all kinds of different problems, but fortunately modern technology is giving them extra assistance, allowing them to drive through the built up areas much more safely.

With so many claims being made at the moment – both in relation to actual accidents and made-up cases just to earn the compensation – having some form of assistance to help drivers to avoid collisions is essential to any haulage firm. The compensation culture is unfortunately giving drivers and HGVs a bad name with people blaming drivers and their lorries for damage caused to their vehicles in separate incidents.

But what can you do about it without the opportunity to defend yourself? In cases of “my word against yours”, many seem to go in favour of the car owner due to a lack of evidence to the contrary. However, thanks to Brigade Electronics, there is now an increasing number of vehicle safety systems on the market that will record movements and give out warnings to ensure you stay clear of any obstacles and hazards.

The range of camera monitor systems click into action when the driver selects reverse gear, and projects images from the rear, side and even corner of the vehicle to a monitor inside the cab, helping the driver to negotiate tricky manoeuvres such as reversing into parking and delivery bays.

To give out warnings to pedestrians and other road users, the range of reversing alarms give off an audible warning through “beep” noises or customizable message such as “this vehicle is reversing”. This system is a great way of avoiding the issue of collisions with pedestrians who cross the road behind the reversing vehicle as it ensures that they are given a warning if they cannot see the reversing lights go on.

To help drivers to establish if there is an object, hazard, pedestrian or road user in their blind spot – where the driver’s vision is obscured – ultrasonic proximity sensors will give out a warning. A three-stage audible warning is given out, helping the driver to establish whether they’re getting closer to or further from the object.

Possibly the biggest driver aid in the mission to reduce false compensation claims is the digital recorder. This system provides quality video and data records while will provide concrete evidence in the event that a claim is made against a driver, showing exactly where the driver was and whether or not any contact was made with the individual, object or vehicle.

There is no doubt that installing vehicle safety systems will help your drivers. As a fleet owner, you must have come across claims against your drivers – many of them false – but with no way of avoiding them or proving your innocence, you have had to pay out possibly substantial costs. With a safety system from Brigade, false claims can be proved and the reputation of your company and drivers can remain intact,

To find out more information on our range of safety systems, contact us on 01322 420300, and discuss your options with one of our experts.