The comments come from SteerSafe, the road safety campaign against blind spots, which says the new measures will still leave blind spots for drivers.
Under the scheme, which became effective in London from 1 September, all lorries over 3.5 tonnes will be banned from the Capital until they are fitted with Class V (side close proximity) and Class V1 (front projection) mirrors and sideguards.
However, as long as there are blind spots a zero-tolerance policy is futile and cyclists will continue to die, says safety campaigner Christopher Hanson-Abbott, who is part of the SteerSafe campaign.
“Considering the current renaissance in cycling this trend is set to escalate unless the driver, the focal point of the problem, is equipped with ergonomically optimised means to avoid collision with anyone and anything,” commented Hanson-Abbott.
He added that information overload is the driver’s primary problem and that the multiple cameras displaying multiple images on multiple screens and accompanying acoustic warnings have the potential to overwhelm a driver in sole charge of a heavy wheeled load travelling on a crowded road.
Hanson-Abbott continued: “The Scheme’s drafting committee is evidently unaware of the latest 360-technology, already on the market for two years, which solves the blind-spot problem at a stroke. Mini-cameras mounted at the top four corners of a vehicle’s body display on a cab-mounted monitor a continuous bird’s eye surround view of a wide footprint all-round the vehicle. A split-second glance reveals any hazard instantly. A further benefit on the screen edges is other vehicles shown lane-changing and overtaking.
“No more multiple mirrors, split screen monitors, much reduced information overload and, vitally, no blind spots.”
