New Technologies Working to Make Lorry Driving Safer

Lorry driving is by no means a mindless type of employment that allows workers to get away with a lack of concentration. Drivers have to constantly pay attention to a long list of issues ranging from traffic conditions to weather to other vehicles on the road. Safe driving requires quite a bit of discipline and concentration. Thankfully, technology companies are working hard to make lorry driving safer.

PIE Mapping, a British company that provides route-mapping solutions to hauliers, is currently working on a smartphone app capable of routing drivers in ways that avoid left-hand turns at risky junctions. Such turns are the primary cause of collisions between HGVs and cyclists in busy urban environments. Successfully avoiding left-hand turns should reduce the frequency of these often-deadly collisions.

Another example of technology making lorry driving safer comes by way of Biffa, one of the largest waste management companies in the UK. Biffa is now in the process of fitting 140 of its bin trucks with cameras that will enable drivers to see inside a bin before emptying it. This is an effort to reduce the number of deaths among homeless people who use the bins for sleeping.

According to company records, as many as 93 people were found sleeping in rubbish bins last year. Installation of the cameras will not only protect those who fall asleep in bins, it will also give drivers a measure of confidence and assurance that they are not endangering someone during the process of emptying a rubbish bin.

Shared Responsibility

We applaud the efforts of both technology companies and hauliers who are working together to make lorry driving safer. However, we are also cognisant of the fact that making things as safe as possible needs to be a shared effort between industry representatives and citizens alike.

Individuals should be aware that taking refuge in a rubbish bin is never a smart idea. Cameras notwithstanding, the blades and compactors mounted inside refuse trucks make no distinction between rubbish and human beings. If a driver does not see someone sleeping in a bin, that individual will likely not survive falling into the lorry with the rest of the rubbish.

As far as collisions between lorries and cyclists are concerned, cyclists need to be aware that lorries are much harder to stop and turn compared to bicycles. Yes, technology can go a long way toward reducing collisions between lorries and bicycles, but cyclists are in a much better position to avoid collisions because they can turn, start, and stop more quickly.

Lorry driving is becoming safer by the day thanks to the combined efforts of a long list of industry players, government agencies, and individual drivers. If you have ever considered lorry driving as a career, we invite you to contact the HGV Training Centre to learn more about it. We offer training classes and an updated jobs database offered free of charge to our students. Why not get started today?

Sources:

1. BBC – https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32776626
2. The Register – https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/13/app_keep_lorries_on_the_right_side_of_cyclists_pedallers_left_turn/