When you’re looking to fit out your fleet, there are a huge number of variables to take into account. In terms of keeping your vehicles and drivers safe (and reducing the risk of liability from accidents elsewhere), there are some items which are essential or near-essential.

There are also quite a few that might be important under different circumstances, or which may not be essential but are valuable to have.

Let’s take a look…

There are three big areas where safety equipment is absolutely vital; vulnerable road user safety, braking, and collision avoidance.

For the first of these, the DVS Progressive Safe System helps with the driver’s blind spot awareness and also incorporates a warning to Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs). As the name suggests, this system is an essential if your fleet consists of HGVs operating in London under the Direct Vision Standard, and may be necessary to meet regulatory standards in other cities.

If your fleet is mostly HGVs, even if you don’t need the full Progressive Safe System, the VT Turnalarm acts as an effective warning system for VRUs, and whatever your fleet, the VT Turnaware is a pedestrian detection system that compensates for the risk of pedestrians stepping into your blind spots.

Our VT Banksman Auto Braking system is capable of monitoring moving and stationary objects that might pose a problem for the vehicle. It is also capable of automatically applying the brakes in the event that it’s necessary. It can be combined with the VT BrakeSafe, an automatic braking failsafe that protects against the risk of a vehicle runaway.

If your vehicles often need to operate at night or in other low light conditions, the VT Alpha Nightsight range give the driver effective visibility where it’s needed. These include cameras designed to be mounted where blind spots would otherwise exist.

For larger vehicles, and especially for vehicles with equipment falling outside their usual silhouette – sweepers and telehandlers, for example – the VT SafeZone provides a clear visual indication of where is and isn’t safe around you.

In the event that the worst still comes to the worst, we recommend our recording device range and our VT Connect fleet telematics software. Using our other devices will make your vehicles as safe as they can be, and these products can help document that you were not at fault in the sad event that something does happen, protecting your fleet from liability.

In any event, we can help you build the safety levels for your vehicles. Just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.