A report by engineers on the need for blind spot and automatic accident alert systems.

A new report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers calls for commercial vehicles to be installed with systems that automatically alert emergency services when involved in road traffic accidents and for collision avoidance technology to be mandatory.

The report, published on 4 May, 2012, said that collision-avoidance technologies, which could help eliminate cyclist and pedestrian deaths caused by driver ‘blind-spots’, should be made mandatory for all UK buses and lorries by 2015.

The ‘Intelligent Transport Intelligent Society’ report also calls for automated emergency response systems to be integrated into all new road vehicles within the next two years. These systems automatically alert emergency services in case of an accident – even if a driver is unconscious – as well as providing the exact location of the accident using Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:
“The alarming rise in cyclist deaths on British roads needs to be addressed urgently. Cyclist deaths have risen by 7% in the past year, with about eight cyclists being killed or seriously injured daily on British roads.  A number of these deaths could be prevented if technology to prevent driver ‘blind spots’ were made mandatory for all large vehicles.”

HGVs make up 5% of the traffic on Britain’s roads yet cause 20% of all fatal accidents involving cyclists. Making collision avoidance technologies mandatory for all large vehicles which prevent driver ‘blind spots’ could make the roads safer for millions of cyclists across the UK.

PDF available from http://www.imeche.org/Libraries/Knowledge/IMechE_Intelligent_Transport_Intelligent_Society.sflb.ashx