New vehicle-mounted warning system for cyclists

ISS launch innovative visual and audible system to warn cyclists when HGVs are about to turn left

VEHICLE safety technology company Innovative Safety Systems Ltd (ISS) have developed a system to warn cyclists when HGVs and other large vehicles are turning left.

Statistics show that cyclist injuries caused by collisions with HGVs are likely to be serious or fatal. In 2006, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) reported that the percentage of cyclist fatalities caused by crashes with HGVs was 22% across the UK. In the same year, nine of the 19 cyclists who died on London’s roads were involved in a collision with a goods vehicle.

The ISS cyclist warning display system (CWDS) comprises two parts: an externally mounted LED display module; and an internally mounted control box.

The display module communicates with cyclists and is mounted on the near side of the vehicle at the rear. It displays an image of a bicycle and the word ‘STOP’. When the driver indicates to turn, these images illuminate in amber, warning cyclists that a manoeuvre is imminent.

Optional audio warnings are also available including a standard alarm that attracts the cyclist’s attention to the display and a fully programmable version that allows messages to be played, such as ‘Warning, vehicle turning left’.

The CWDS system works in conjunction with ISS reversing radars, providing additional detection and driver warning. It is not triggered by the indicator mechanism but instead by the presence of any object that is detected within the detection zone.

Gavin Thoday, director of Innovative Safety Systems, said: ‘In a market place inundated with products that alert the driver of obstacles in blind spots, there are virtually none that provide information to cyclists. The CWDS does just that, by warning cyclists and that a potentially dangerous manoeuvre is about to occur and placing the onus on them to act accordingly.