Cuts out false alerts
Bristol engineering company Fusion Processing has developed cycle safety technology to reduce the growing number of cyclist collisions and casualties across the country involving large commercial vehicles.
The CycleEye technology uses radar and camera sensors to identify when the risk for the cyclist is increased due to being alongside or immediately in front of the vehicle, and gives an audible alert to the driver’s cab.
The unit, which can operate in all weather conditions, as well during night and day, is fitted to the side of the commercial vehicle and only audibly alerts drivers when there is a real danger of a collision with the cyclist. The intelligent system is programmed to ignore other nearby objects cutting out false alerts which have been an issue with other cycle safety technologies.
It also reduces cognitive overload on the driver – a condition where too much information is being dealt with simultaneously by an individual – allowing them to respond faster to potentially critical situations.
CycleEye was recently fitted to three buses by First in Bristol as part of an ongoing trial funded by the West of England local authorities and also including Wessex Bus. A preliminary trial in London has also seen the system achieve a 98.5% success rate in identifying cyclists.
