When Marco Schieber maneuvers his 40-ton truck through city traffic, there is always a little bit of fear. No, the trucker can easily cope with the huge dimensions, after all he has long since gotten used to it over the many years “on the box”.
But what worries him is the blind spot, which in the case of the truck quite rightly bears its name: “As high as we sit in the cab and as short as the overhangs of the body are, we can actually see large areas of the direct environment don’t see it,” he says during driver training for the manufacturer MAN.
He gets out and is out of sight of the cab as he walks around his truck. “And not only pedestrians become invisible to us, but also cyclists and sometimes even entire cars simply disappeared,” he says.
As a result, serious and often fatal accidents occur again and again: In a study published in 2015, the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) demonstrated that more than two thirds of accidents between trucks and cyclists occur when turning or at intersections – and that these are above average often end fatally.
The trade association for traffic also warns: “In the event of accidents involving trucks, refuse collection vehicles, buses or vans turning right, pedestrians or cyclists are “not infrequently seriously injured or even killed.”
Various stakeholders have therefore been trying for years to sensitize other road users: in France, for example, large warning stickers are now mandatory on trucks.
Right flank of the trucks as a danger zone
“Pedestrians and cyclists, but also drivers, simply have to be aware of this risk and keep the necessary distance,” says Hans-Georg Marmit from the expert organization KÜS.
He primarily identifies the right flank of the truck as the danger zone: “Anyone who stands too close to a turning truck at a traffic light or an intersection, for example, is invisible to the driver and is in acute danger of death.”
“This topic is also at the top of the agenda for us,” says Marcus Oberlies from the SVG Fahrschulzentrum Südwest in Frankfurt/Main. He literally wants to open the eyes of truck and bus drivers: Even before the first drive, they are not only made aware of the correct setting of the mirrors, says the driving instructor.
“Instead, while we’re still stationary, we’re using various experiments to demonstrate how an entire school class suddenly becomes invisible next to a truck. It’s often quite enlightening.”
Electronic exterior mirrors for trucks
In addition to the mirror adjustment, the recent change in the road traffic regulations should also bring more safety. According to the ADAC, all vehicles over 3.5 tons, such as trucks and buses, are only allowed to turn right at walking speed in built-up areas. This applies to streets where cyclists or pedestrians must be expected.
On the other hand, all vehicles must maintain a safety distance of at least 1.5 meters in built-up areas and two meters outside of built-up areas from cyclists, pedestrians and e-scooters when overtaking. Reason, rules and prudence are all well and good. But because that alone cannot be relied on, more and more manufacturers are relying on technical assistance to bring life into the blind spot. Electronic exterior mirrors should be the solution.
The technology is not new. In cars, it has been haunting show cars as a particularly futuristic feature at motor shows for years. And with the electric car and the fight for low air resistance for more range, it has now also made it into series production. When it comes to trucks, however, it’s not about elegance and efficiency, but above all about safety, says MAN man Schieber.
The Mirror Cam is standard on the Actros
The system had its premiere as a mirror cam with the introduction of the current Mercedes Actros three years ago: there, instead of mirrors, cameras were installed on brackets above the cabin for the first time. Their images are transmitted to monitors on the A-pillar.
According to Mercedes, this has other advantages in addition to the enlarged field of vision: Even fogged up or dirty windows can no longer cloud the view.
And because the monitors are smaller than the mirrors, less of the direct viewing area is covered. And yes, the aerodynamics also benefit from the Mirror Cam: “Consumption is reduced by up to 1.5 percent,” the Swabians announce and at the same time promise lower operating costs.
However, the customers do not have to calculate this technology at all. The Mirror Cam is standard on the Actros.
Five camera images are processed
MAN also wants to open truckers’ eyes and therefore introduced the Optiview at the turn of the year for its trucks, from distributors to long-distance trucks: The system uses a total of five cameras, which are installed in cantilevers on the upper edge of the cab.
Two on each side look backwards from different perspectives, and one looks in front of the vehicle from the passenger side, MAN driving instructor Schieber shows during the first demonstration.
MAN’s Optiview system is intended to help capture the areas around the truck better than with conventional mirrors
Source: dpa-tmn/MAN
Digitally combined and enlarged depending on the speed, the images are transmitted to two high-resolution displays. They are the size of an A4 sheet of paper and are mounted on the inside of the A-pillars.
In addition, at speeds below 10 km/h, the live recording of the bow camera is shown on the information display in the cockpit. The cameras not only allow a larger viewing angle than mirrors and thus also make road users visible who would otherwise be hidden.
Because the screens are smaller and the cameras are mounted higher up, the driver’s field of vision is also less restricted here. That’s why MAN promises more comfortable maneuvering and safer driving around curves or through roundabouts.
Truckers have other benefits
The electronic exterior mirrors are mainly used for partner protection. But the truckers also benefit from the technology in other ways. “It’s not just maneuvering that becomes easier when you can see more and have help lines displayed,” says Schieber.
Optiview also ensures a safe feeling at night. Thanks to the camera, anyone who hears suspicious noises around their truck during a break in a dark freeway parking lot no longer has to get out of their bunk to check on things.
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