Talk to most drivers and the feedback on cyclist and pedestrian behaviour is pretty much unanimous. ‘When’s it their turn to get road educated!’ And it’s this often erratic road safety sense of ours that’s adding to driver anxiety. Half-awake commuters, eyes down, oblivious to all road signals, and focused only on their devices; daredevil 30mph cyclists spying a glimmer of an opening up ahead and racing through the dangerous HGV gap; inexperienced cyclists hopping aboard their first e-rental, and choosing the city of all places to learn to ride a bike! And now the new breed – the Formula One scooterists, weaving in and out and thinking themselves invincible… until suddenly they’re not. And like too many cyclists and pedestrians before them, ending up badly injured or worse.
Because despite all the politicking, there’ll only ever be one loser in the London chicken run. A truck will always be a truck and a vulnerable road user will always be vulnerable. And HGV drivers as erratic humans have their failings too, hence the TfL push to have technology help reduce these often fatal encounters. And so it’s great to report that in the midst of all of this risk and driver stress, the TrafficAngel Progressive Safe System is already proving its worth around town, averting injury and even saving lives!
Jamie Mellish runs four mixers for London Concrete. ‘The TrafficAngel kit was fitted to one of our vehicles in the morning, and that afternoon, as one of my drivers was pulling away, he heard ‘PEDESTRIAN FRONT!’ coming from the display. He immediately braked, looked down and saw a pedestrian right below him in the blind spot. The fact this system gives a vocal warning to the driver as opposed to just another beeping sound in the cab makes all the difference to driver reaction. And the AI technology picking up only pedestrians has made it so much quieter in the cab now.’
T&M Bowsers Solutions
After trialling the TrafficAngel PSS and getting the driver feedback, head of T&M Plant Terry Beasley with some 250 bowsers working across the UK has given TrafficAngel the go-ahead to supply the entire fleet. His driver reported how the system had issued him with the same ‘PEDESTRIAN FRONT!’ warning, how he’d braked in time to see a pedestrian walking out from the front blind-spot.
Said Terry, ‘If this PSS can save one life, then it’s worth it. And regardless of the TfL mandate, we’ll be fitting the TrafficAngel system now because it’s a valuable addition to fleet safety.’
PEDESTRIAN FRONT!
James Brownhill heads up Mobile Awareness installing HGV safety equipment across the Midlands (right). James fits the TrafficAngel PSS and his customers are delighted. Says James, ‘We spent ages looking for a suitable PSS but couldn’t find anything that met all the TfL requirements and was also simple to fit. It’s on us too if what we fit doesn’t comply. We then trialled a TrafficAngel system and haven’t looked back. One of our customers recently told me how he was inching forwards in traffic and kept on hearing ‘PEDESTRIAN FRONT!’ but couldn’t see anybody. Still inching forwards, a small scooter rider suddenly appeared out from the front blind spot. The driver hadn’t seen him but the AI camera had picked him out. A definite serious injury or worse was avoided.’
To the PSS naysayers sore over added cost, and now the non-compliant kit out there, if you do your homework, you will find the right system, and your driver will actually thank you for it! As a practical example of PSS homework, I contacted a Facebook PSS supplier and asked for references (because we’ll fit other kit too if it meets the standard), only to be told, ‘We can’t do that because of GDPR.’
Dissatisfied at such a response, I phoned a haulier advertised as ‘another satisfied customer’ who candidly told me his PSS wasn’t working, how the installers had drilled holes into the body letting in water and shorting the vehicle CPU, how the company still hadn’t returned to fix the issues, leaving the advertised ‘satisfied customer’ unsatisfied and severely out of pocket.
Of course, no installation company is perfect but let the above simple illustration serve as a reminder you can investigate further, and that you actually need to because the PSS market is awash now with the second rate. Once again, insist on a trial, and absolutely insist on speaking to satisfied customers before you buy. If their kit is good, then customers should be happy to spread the good news.
For more information on PSS and for a list of satisfied customers, call TrafficAngel on 01825 768 555 and we’ll gladly assist. And please do contact us if you’re interested in installing.
