There are so many vehicles on the road today compared to past years but there has been no equal increase in road safety or available parking. All vehicles have their blind spots which are significantly reduced by the use of mirrors on the rise and rear. But this doesn’t eliminate all blind spots and further technology and systems are required to ensure the safety of vehicles, especially large and heavy vehicles.

There are many accidents that can happen whether it is another vehicle, a pedestrian or a stationary object. This is why so many vehicles have cameras and other safety systems installed. One such practice that focuses on the goals of community road safety is CLOCS-A which is short for construction logistics and community safety. This focuses on minimising the risks that are related to the logistics activities of construction projects. This document highlights a practical framework for managing associated risks when it comes to road transport of construction projects. The goals of this are to improve efficiency by reducing the number of vehicle journeys, eliminating collisions between the community and heavy vehicles and establishing a national standard in Australia that the construction industry can uphold. This will reduce the reputational risk of the construction companies as well.         

Blind spots are a bigger issue when it comes to larger sized vehicles. When it comes to trucks, the largest blind spot is the behind the vehicle. This spot is more towards the passenger side. There are other blind spots as well such as the area under the passenger door, the area directly behind the truck and the area below six feet at the front of the truck. The front blind spot can actually go on to a long stretch in front of the vehicle about nine metres as well. Those vulnerable to collisions are generally motorcyclists, pedal cyclists and pedestrians due to the problem that a heavy vehicle driver cannot see them properly with the blind spots of the vehicle. The layout of the road can further exacerbate the issue.

Technology has come through as a solution to vehicle safety. On board CCTV cameras are able to remove blind spots and give drivers a good idea of their surroundings. These cameras can show you what is happening at the back, sides and even on the roof of the vehicle. There are also advanced driver assistance systems that can be fitted to the vehicle after purchase or are already available in newly purchased vehicles that have a lot of safety features. Some of these features are blind spot alerts, automatic emergency braking, warnings regarding traffic and alerting the driver about vehicles that are very close-by. The information collected by the vehicle cameras can allow fleet operators to analyse and identify potential risks and therefore take preventative action to further reduce the possibility of accidents. There are automatic braking technologies for reversing as well which is another potential collision if the driver is not able to see who or what is behind the vehicle.