There is no silver bullet to guarantee vehicle and equipment safety, but technology can go a long way to increase safety for the operator, the company and the public alike.
Matt Wood
The simple fact of the matter is that it can take more than being a good driver—even an excellent driver—to be a safe driver. Perry Mitrano, Director of Public Works/Fleet Services and Solid Waste for the City of Bunnell, is an award-winning commercial vehicle operator, but that did not help him when he came within inches of backing over an elderly man. This near-fatal incident happened while Mitrano was filling in for one of his collection drivers in the City of Bunnell, FL, but it could happen to any waste equipment operator—anytime and anywhere. Active safety technology prevented an accident that day, and it can prevent many more.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute, 16 percent of backing accidents can be reduced by the use of visual aids, including rear-view mirrors and cameras/monitors. What is much more reassuring is that 96 percent of these accidents could be avoided with the addition of object detection radar. That is an 80 percent safety increase by adding active driver assistance. That is a dramatic reduction in something so horrible—for everyone involved—and so easily avoided.
Expect the Unexpected
More than 60 percent of municipal solid waste-related fatalities in 2017 were civilians. In fact, for every 10 waste vehicles in a fleet, there will be two accidents every year. One out of every nine of those accidents will involve bodily injury to a pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist or other driver. Such injuries are terrible—the worst event an organization can experience. And they are costly. According to the National Safety Council, the average property damage cost of a backing accident is $7,400. The average cost of a backing accident injury is $27,550—with the cost of a fatality pegged at $500,000. Litigation can drive an accident cost well above $1M. These costs, of course, do not include the emotional cost to all involved. Nor does it reflect the harm to an organization’s reputation, equipment damage, or operator and vehicle downtime.
No one wants an accident. Perry Mitrano did not. Before he put his truck in reverse, he did all the right things. “Sometimes you see people in your rear-view mirror,” he says. “They hear you backing up. They’re waiting to give you the right of way. You’re waiting to let them go by. Finally, you decide you’re going to move the truck—just as they decide to try and beat you across the street. You look back again and they’re gone.”
In most cases, the pedestrian has moved out of harm’s way. But in this one instance, the elderly man had bent down right below the truck’s massive rear wheels to pick up a set of keys he had dropped. No one could have reasonably blamed Mitrano if he had struck that man. However, tell that to Mitrano himself.
Reduce Backup Accidents by 96 Percent
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has calculated that 40 percent of collisions between large commercial vehicles and pedestrians, bicyclists and other vehicles take place in the front. Rear collisions account for 25 percent of accidents, while 30 percent happen on the right or left side. Given the size of solid waste collection vehicles and the tight environments in which they must operate, it is no surprise that accidents happen. What is more surprising is how these accident rates can be reduced by the use of intelligent safety systems.
“Visibility” Means More than What Meets the Eye
It is simply not realistic to expect one operator to be able to monitor everything going on around a large piece of equipment, whether that vehicle is moving forward, turning, or in reverse. Positioning cameras around the exterior of the vehicle can help a great deal. However, cameras project images onto in-cab monitors that must be monitored. Operators, meanwhile, are often paying attention to real-world distractions: other vehicles, obstacles, people, pets, as well as adverse weather conditions and time pressure.
Active safety technology can serve as a kind of digital sixth-sense, alerting the operator to potential hazards the same way you can have a sense that someone is watching you even though you cannot see them.
On May 1, 2018, all new vehicles with a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds-including buses and on-road-trucks must be equipped with rear visibility technology. The data marshaled in drafting the FMVSS 111 mandate is instructive for heavy-duty equipment and it is safe to assume that some version of this mandate will soon be passed on to heavy-duty fleets, too.
Integrating vision systems with a blind spot object detection radar provides operators with active alerts (that do not require their engagement) so they can further avoid potential collisions. By installing radar sensors on each side of the vehicle and then networking the sensors together with camera/monitors, operators can have approximate 360-degree coverage to avoid potential blind spot collisions on all sides of the vehicle.
Building a Bulletproof Object Detection System
Intelligent radar systems allow the sensors to provide a customized detection zone, depending on the equipment type and work environment. A mining haul truck operator might want a very wide zone to meet the needs of open pit mine operations. A waste truck driver operating in more confined circumstances may opt for a narrower detection zone. This entire detection process happens instantly—in as little as 240 milliseconds, or less than a quarter of a second—to give the operator ample time to respond.
Radar systems must include intelligent modes of operation to minimize false alerts due to fixed objects, such as guardrails, while still providing reliable object detection. The ability to minimize these nuisance alerts is critical: If the operator loses confidence in the functionality of the sensor, he or she learns to ignore the warnings or go so far as to disable the system.
A Split-Second Warning Can Last a Lifetime
Mitrano is very clear that even the best operators need help if they are to safely navigate very large equipment in very crowded environments. “Backup cameras are wonderful,” Mitrano says. “We use them on our trucks and they help us avoid a lot of incidents. Maybe you spot [something] on your monitor screen, maybe not. But if your radar picks them up, then you’ve got time to put your foot on the brake. And a stopped truck is a safe truck. Plain and simple.”
With all of this in mind, it is important to understand that, unfortunately, accidents will still happen, the majority of which are not the fault of an operator. Innovative waste haulers are incorporating video-based technologies with their safety programs. These systems provide operator coaching opportunities and, most importantly, capture video when an incident does occur.
It is encouraging to see waste companies embrace the technologies available. By integrating a wide range of systems, fleets and their operators can march forward with their mission to get the waste industry off of the most dangerous industries list.
Matt Wood serves as the Vice President of Worldwide Sales at PRECO Electronics (Boise, ID). He is responsible for developing operation strategies, managing international and domestic sales channels, and expanding into new partnerships for heavy equipment and commercial vehicle industries. Matt is passionate about sharing PRECO’s collision mitigation offerings so companies can perform with greater confidence and peace-of-mind. For more information, (866) 977-7326 or e-mail [email protected].
