The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, has welcomed the roll-out by a UK company of cutting edge technology developed in Israel to help improve road safety.
Amey, one of the UK’s largest public and regulated services providers, will be equipping 200 refuse collection lorries with a system called ‘Cycle Safety Shield’, which helps drivers to be more aware of vulnerable road users. The system is supplied by UK company Safety Shield Systems – the UK provider of Mobileye Shield+™.
Cycle Safety Shield, which has been developed by the Israeli firm Mobileye, uses cameras and sensors to help drivers avoid collisions by detecting and warning of the presence of cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. Mobileye technology incorporates strategically placed multi-vision ‘smart’ sensors, which act as a driver’s third eye and monitor blind spots around the vehicle. The system provides drivers with real-time visual and audible alerts as the risk of a collision increases.
The announcement, which comes on the second day of the Mayor’s trade mission to Israel, complements wider efforts to improve road safety in London. This includes building new infrastructure that protects road users and working with partners to implement new ideas. The Mayor is particularly keen to see the development of these kinds of detection technologies, and Mobileye Shield+TM is one of a number being developed by different manufacturers.
The Safer Lorry Scheme was introduced on 1 September this year to ensure that only HGVs with vital safety mirrors and sideguards are allowed on London’s roads. London is also pioneering Pedestrian SCOOT – the world’s first pedestrian crossing sensors – at junctions to help make it easier and safer for people to cross the road.
The roll-out of Cycle Safety Shield by Amey on its vehicles follows a six month trial in Ealing last year, which showed that 15 potentially serious collisions were avoided. Ealing has since committed to fitting the technology to all of its lorry fleet.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “It’s fantastic to see that cutting edge technology, such as Cycle Safety Shield developed by Mobileye in Israel, is being utilised to help make London’s roads safer. Amey’s commitment to fitting Cycle Safety Shield to its fleet of trucks is to be applauded and I hope that other big companies follow their lead. As we work towards strengthening our Safer Lorry Scheme we’re giving real consideration to making sensor technology like this a requirement for HGVs operating in London. I’ve said that improving the direct vision of drivers is one of our key priorities going forward, but high tech solutions being developed by Mobileye and others are sure to play a big part in helping us to deliver future improvements to road safety”.
Ziv Aviram Levy, Mobileye’s CEO and Co-Founder, said: “Mobileye technology complements the Mayor of London’s mission to make roads in the nation’s capital safer for vulnerable road users. We are very pleased Amey has chosen our technology to help them promote road safety. Mobileye Shield+TM is currently being piloted across the globe in the U.S., Germany, China, Japan and Australia. However, this fleet-wide rollout positions London as global pioneers in the adoption of lifesaving advanced driver assistance technology.”
