There are many safety risks for vulnerable road users and one such risk is heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks, construction or commercial vehicles. This is because they tend to have blind spots due to the size of the vehicle and if it is not operated properly, they can cause a lot of damage.
There are many camera and sensor systems that can eliminate these blind spots.
But drivers can still find it difficult to respond to alerts if they are travelling at a high speed. Therefore, speed limiting solutions have been created. There are many ways to control the speed of heavy vehicles. One such option is using programmable speed settings. The vehicle operators or fleet managers can set a maximum speed limit for the vehicle. Some of the factors that will be taken into consideration when choosing these speed settings are the capability of the vehicle, road conditions and the regulatory requirements. This is a great way of achieving heavy vehicle safety as the drivers will adhere to a controlled speed that is determined to be safe. This is an excellent initiative when it comes to preventing drivers from exceeding the safe speeds. And they can minimise the likelihood of a driver speeding which can bring down the number of road accidents.
Also,
Maintaining a steady speed can contribute to the performance of the car as well. Because the vehicle is not accelerating unnecessarily and sticking to a consistent speed, fuel efficiency is increased leading to cost savings. You can also use location based speed limiting where location tracking systems such as GPS are used to identify the current location of the vehicle. And once it identifies this, the speed limit will be adjusted automatically based on the conditions of the road. Also, the speed can be controlled in designated areas such as school zones and urban areas. For example, if the truck is travelling near a school zone, the maximum speed limit will be automatically lowered so that the driver is able to comply with local regulations.
With location based speed limiting,
Instead of maintaining one speed, the speed limit can be adapted according to the situation. And the driver will be made aware of the correct speed limit in these areas. And it is a great way to prevent the driver from speeding and violating local traffic laws. The driver is held accountable to their actions and the fleet managers will not need to constantly monitor them to enforce speed limits. There are also integrated safety systems that can improve speed control. Some examples of these systems are emergency braking systems, forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control. These systems use cameras, sensors and radar to constantly monitor the surrounding environment allowing the driver to keep a safe distance from other vehicles and pedestrians. There should also be clear guidelines provided with regard to heavy vehicle speed limits. They can specify maximum speed limits depending on the road type and carry out regular inspections to ensure compliance of the drivers.
