Road safety innovation for motorists
Posted on 27th July 2021 at 10:50
All motorists know the frustrations and risks of a breakdown, especially on smart motorways, where the UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has recently acknowledged safety measures need to be improved.
For better visibility that will help to reduce the risk of accidents drivers will soon be able to warn other road users of breakdowns with an innovative new safety product.
The Be-Seen Screen is the brainchild of entrepreneur, Richard Edwards, who says: “For the thousands of people driving on busy roads every day the Be-Seen Screen is a straightforward and affordable option that will improve visibility. It could provide vital extra seconds of awareness that can help to prevent serious accidents.
“Grant Shapps has already agreed that ‘smart’ motorways are currently anything but smart.
“If there’s a breakdown in lane one, and with hard shoulders in use, motorists are very exposed.
“Emergency refuges are too far apart for many drivers to reach them safely, so an effective high-visibility warning device is needed to reduce the risk.
“With a Be-Seen Screen on board, if your vehicle fails on a rainy afternoon in poor light conditions, you can have a bright, reflective warning sign in place in moments. By pressing the powerful suction pads to the rear windscreen or boot you can clearly and securely display the distinctive chevrons and ‘broken down’ message.
“The banner has the same reflectivity as emergency vehicles, day or night, to make other motorists aware of your stranded vehicle. It’s an eye-catching and faster alternative to safety triangles where the 45 metre walk along the carriageway to put them in place represents a risk in itself.”
The new Screen can be used for cars, vans, caravans and HGVs. It has been thoroughly tested and will be manufactured in the UK for distribution around the world.
The product is fully endorsed by a former Senior Policing Area Commander of Thames Valley Police, who knows that the dangers and deaths on our roads need to be radically reduced.
With his 30 years of Policing experience, he sees this product as a ground-breaking innovation in the effort to save lives. He says: "As technology has changed with smart motorways, for example, the way all drivers of motor vehicles react to breakdowns also needs to change. This safety product, with the ability to deploy so quickly, will support them in doing so”.
Innovation vs technology
Smart motorways and strategic road networks will ultimately use Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) technology to provide lane-by-lane warnings of incidents and obstructions.
The deadline for SVD on the UK’s smart motorways was set for 2023 but, recognising the risks motorists face, this is reportedly being brought forward.
In January 2021 a coroner called for a review of safety on smart motorways following the death in 2019 of two men who had stopped on lane one of the M1.
For more information contact Richard Edwards at Be-Seen Screen on 0333 358 0333 or email richard@be-seen-screen.co.uk
Background
The Be-Seen Screen has been under development for three years. It is now patented in the UK and has been extensively tested on a range of vehicles, both indoors and outdoors, at the Millbrook Vehicle Proving Ground in Bedford.
The Screen uses a micro-prismatic method to achieve high reflective performance in all light conditions, tested at multiple angles. The lime-yellow and red chevron design is immediately recognisable as a warning.
Importantly, the product’s design means that motorists can have full confidence in its effectiveness at any time because it doesn’t use electronics that can degrade, and an energy source isn’t needed.
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