Category Archives: Sensors

What is National Road Victim Month all about?

Posted on 15th Aug, 2018 by Dominic Benabda

You might think you can guess the purpose of National Road Victim Month just from the name. Many would say it’s just about taking a moment to appreciate all the people who’ve been injured or killed in road traffic accidents. And while that’s great, that’s only one part of it. National Road Victim Month was created not just for remembrance, but also for action in the name of these victims, and taking steps to ensure that we stop as many others as we can from suffering the same tragic circumstances.

August is the single most dangerous time of year on the roads

National Road Victim Month is an initiative of Roadpeace, a leading road accident charity here in the UK. They’ve observed the month in August of every year since 1998, when Princess Diana was famously killed in a horrible traffic accident. The purposes of the initiative is to honour and remember those injured or killed in similar circumstances, as well as to highlight the devastating, lifelong impact of such crashes.

A key reason why August was chosen is because it sees the highest number of deaths on British roads. Why is August so deadly? Well, we highlighted a number of reasons about summer in general in last week’s post about why extra visibility is important in summer. In addition to that, though, lots of the other key reasons can be traced back to one thing: holidays.

Here are just a few reasons why so many road crashes happen in August:

• More people are on the road heading to airports or holiday destinations
• Many drivers are more stressed or distracted than usual (whether by other drivers, or children in the car)
• Some drivers are more likely to be travelling on unfamiliar roads on the way to their holidays
• As we outlined last week, more children are often playing near roads because of the school holidays

Why National Road Victim Month matters to us here at Vision Techniques

Prevention is a key aspect of the campaign, as Roadpeace seeks to make the general public more aware of how they can stop similar accidents from happening in future. That aim aligns exactly with ours here at Vision Techniques, as the majority of our road safety products are specifically designed with this goal in mind. For example:

Our StopSafe system protects both drivers and other road users

We designed our StopSafe system to give crews of HGVs the ability to stop the vehicle should the driver fall unconscious, or become otherwise incapacitated. A key feature of the system is the large red button in the centre of the dashboard, which crew can press in an emergency. This stops the engine and applies ABS braking to bring the vehicle to a gradual, controlled stop, minimising the risk to the HGV’s occupants or other road users.

VT Banksman protects pedestrians and vulnerable road users

A centrepiece of our VT Banksman set of products is an auto-braking reversing radar, alerting HGV drivers to any immobile or moving obstacles that are outside their field of vision. These advanced devices come in particularly useful for municipal vehicles and HGVs in similar industries, as they minimise the chances of collision in confined spaces like residential drives. It’s worth noting that such places are prime locations for children to be out playing – an additional summer risk we mentioned above.

These are just a few samples to give you an idea of the design principles behind our products here at Vision Techniques. You can see our cyclist safety products and other road safety products here, or for any questions or queries you can always give our sales line a call on 08455 278 267.

How to prevent the 3 most common causes of HGV accidents

Posted on 22nd May, 2018 by Dominic Benabda

Despite making up only a relatively small proportion of road traffic, HGVs are regularly involved in some of the most serious accidents on Britain’s roads. And although there are certain accidents which will always be unavoidable, happily for fleet managers and the drivers themselves, there are some excellent precautions they can take to cut down on the likelihood and severity of road accidents. This week on the blog, we’re looking at three of the most common causes of HGV accidents, and how what you can do to prevent them.

1. Lack of visibility

We’re kicking off our list with one of the most obvious causes. Many accidents involving HGVs come down to simple lack of visibility. The height of the cab from the ground results in a corresponding increase in the HGV’s blind spot – which is one of the reasons that smaller, more vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists can frequently be in more danger than car drivers. In 2015 alone, there were 377 collisions reported with cyclists – almost a third of whom were seriously injured or killed.

How you can prevent it

Naturally, some responsibility will always rest with the driver in ensuring they’re constantly aware and vigilant of their surroundings. However, here at Vision Techniques we have a range of cyclist safety products that can make this task easier – including TurnAware, a video analytics system that provides drivers with enhanced visibility to monitor their surroundings, helping them to avoid potential collisions.

2. Driver incapacitation

For many HGV drivers, there is an ongoing issue with the industry regarding the importance of proper breaks. The majority of drivers will be familiar with the idea of driving for exceptionally long distances each day, but those working for certain less reputable firms may well find themselves doing this frequently without proper breaks or periods of rest. This can result in an increased chance of falling asleep at the wheel, which can have potentially fatal consequences.

Even if drivers are taking their appropriate periods of rest, there’s still the possibility that they can become incapacitated in other ways, either due to illness or a pre-existing medical condition (such as an epileptic fit). Once again, if this happens as they’re driving, it could result in a catastrophe.

How you can prevent it

In preventative terms, it’s often up to employers to assigned periods of dedicated rest to HGV drivers, and ensure that they’re taking them. Meanwhile, to minimise the risks posed by drivers becoming incapacitated, fleet managers can install our patented StopSafe system in the cabs of their vehicles. When a driver becomes incapacitated, StopSafe uses a large, easily accessible red button to give crew the opportunity to bring the vehicle to a halt in a safe, controlled manner.

3. Human error

To some extent, human error will always be a sadly unavoidable aspect of life on the road. Leaving aside the issue of negligent driving, it’s not unheard of for HGV drivers to misjudge, for example, the braking distance of their vehicles. Sudden or improper braking can lock the wheels, potentially leading to a jack-knifing scenario. In many instances, proper training and careful vehicle maintenance is the best way to preventatively account for these circumstances.

One of the most common instances of human error we see here at Vision Techniques, however, involve drivers failing to properly apply the handbrake. In fact, it’s such a frequent occurrence that we’ve developed our own technology specifically designed to tackle this danger.

How you can prevent it

The technology in question is our Brakesafe system, which essentially automatically applies the handbrake if the driver forgets. It will also sound an audible alarm, alerting the driver to the risk. This can help prevent incredibly dangerous ‘rollaways’, involving vehicles parked on hills.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of the most common causes of HGV accidents, but investing in these technologies for your fleet can give you a tangible advantage in heading off some of the major risks. You can click here to browse our full range of vehicle safety products, or give us a call on 08455 911 434.

Cyclist safety range launch

Posted on 6th Sep, 2013 by Jonathan Peach

With the number of cyclist deaths at an all time high in Britain, it’s clear that vehicle safety companies must step up to stop these accidents from occurring.
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Leading private waste company introduces Banksman Auto Braking

Posted on 28th Mar, 2013 by Jonathan Peach

One of Europe’s leading waste management firms has upgraded its vehicles with Vision Techniques hi-tech auto braking system.

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Vision Techniques spearheads innovative reversing radar system – guaranteed to prevent reversing collisions

Posted on 20th Feb, 2013 by Jonathan Peach

Blackburn–based vehicle safety specialist, Vision Techniques, is pioneering an incredible reversing radar system designed to prevent all types of reversing collisions.

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Reversing sensors are becoming an integral part of vehicle safety throughout Britain

Posted on 10th Jul, 2012 by Jonathan Peach

Ever changing technology in Britain is has brought the next level of vehicle safety to modern vehicles.

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Another important vehicle safety product from Vision Techniques

Posted on 27th Jun, 2012 by Jonathan Peach

In an increasing tech-savvy world, technology is developing beyond our imagination.

Reversing aids, such as reversing sensors, are featured in many Vision Techniques products, helping drivers to manoeuvre theirs vehicles safely and quickly.

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Reversing alarms and reversing sensors

Posted on 8th May, 2012 by Jonathan Peach

With a full range of reversing alarms and reversing sensors, Vision Techniques have some of the best, safest and most cost-effective products available.

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Reverse sensors prevent accidents by detecting obstacles

Posted on 24th Apr, 2012 by Jonathan Peach

By detecting obstacles behind you and in front of you, reversing sensors aid your manoeuvrability both behind and in front of you, ensuring that no vehicle damage or accidents involving pedestrians take place.

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Reversing aids can be used for any vehicle

Posted on 5th Mar, 2012 by Jonathan Peach

All drivers can benefit from reversing aids, and even everyday cars can have them.

A proximity sensor on a standard car can lower the risk of collision when backing up or parallel parking.

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