(JNi.media) 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 Garbage Trucks (known locally as refuse collection lorries) with a system called “Cycle Safety Shield,” which helps drivers be more aware of vulnerable road users.
Cycle Safety Shield was developed by the Israeli firm Mobileye, and it uses cameras and sensors to help drivers avoid collisions by detecting and warning of the presence of cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists, of drifting outside traffic lanes, and of getting too close to other vehicles. Mobileye technology incorporates strategically placed multi-vision smart sensors acting as the driver’s third eye and monitoring blind spots around the vehicle. The system provides drivers with real-time visual and audible alerts as the risk of a collision increases. The alerts can be annoying, but most users report getting used to it, and confess at least one or two occasions when their lives were saved by the device.
Mayor Boris said: “It’s fantastic to see that cutting edge technology, such as Cycle Safety Shield developed by Mobileye in Israel, is being utilized to help make London’s roads safer.” He added that “as we work towards strengthening our Safer Lorry Scheme we’re giving real consideration to making sensor technology like this a requirement for HGVs (heavy goods vehicle) 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. … Mobileye Shield+ is currently being piloted across the globe in the US, Germany, China, Japan and Australia. However, this fleet-wide rollout positions London as global pioneers in the adoption of lifesaving advanced driver assistance technology.”