Fleetclear has launched a unique AI-driven Live Lane Information System (LLIS) designed to enhance the safety of waste and recycling collection crews and reduce the risk of accidents involving vehicles travelling in adjacent lanes.
Collection activities with staff operating in and around the flow of traffic account for the largest proportion of accidents in the waste and recycling industry. The occurrence of reckless driving around slow-moving waste collection vehicles has been steadily rising year on year. As a result, crews are increasingly at risk of being struck by vehicles in adjacent live traffic lanes.
Known for its collaborative approach to product development, Fleetclear was approached by Serco, a leading provider of public services, following an incident involving one of its crew members who was struck by a vehicle overtaking one of its refuse collection vehicles as part of its Sandwell contract.
Steve Heywood MBE CMILT, Serco Fleet Director, said: “We are delighted to have worked collaboratively with Fleetclear to develop this product. Unlike other systems on the market, the onus is on the car driver to react to any warnings; however, with LLIS, the AI technology offers increased situational awareness to frontline teams when working in live lanes.”
Chris Waller, Chief Technical Officer at Fleetclear, said: “We have always worked in collaboration with customers, listening to the challenges they face and developing products to help them improve the safety of their staff, the public and their fleets.”
“Following trials on Serco vehicles operating in Sandwell and Wandsworth, the feedback about LLIS has been very positive and we’ve had a lot of interest from other fleet operators who are keen to try it out. We are excited about the positive impact this device can have on the safety of waste and recycling operatives.”
Existing systems on the market place the sole responsibility on oncoming drivers, requiring them to respond appropriately to alerts about the presence of pedestrian workers. Fleetclear’s LLIS solution works differently by focusing on the operators working at the rear of the vehicle and alerting them regarding the presence of oncoming vehicles in the adjacent live-lane (off-side).
Waller continued: “Externally mounted wide-angle AI cameras detect oncoming vehicles up to 30m and peripheral warning lights illuminate at the rear of the vehicle to warn operators of oncoming danger before entering the live lane. A smart filter using intelligent AI camera image recognition algorithms filters out street furniture to avoid false alarms. This technology also integrates with the Fleetclear Connect web-based software platform, combining it with data from vehicle safety technology and telematics to enable full surveillance and monitoring of the entire fleet, all viewable via one dashboard.”
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