A research study by the Loughborough Design School, part of Loughborough University, in the UK, shows that some delivery trucks have single blind spots of up to 1.9 m, while the best-in-class trucks have virtually none.

The study found a big difference in the direct vision – what drivers can see with their own eyes – of best- and worst-in-class trucks in all categories, noting that low-entry cabs outperform all competitors in this field.

With many of the characteristics of a low-entry cab, the Scania P N3 delivery truck has “great direct vision”, which “drastically reduces fatal blind spots”, while the Man TGS N3 has much larger combined blind spots, totalling 2.72 m, comments the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) in a press statement.

The Loughborough Design School’s research project managed to quantify truck blind spots. These blind spots are caused by the structure of the vehicle, and stop the driver from seeing cyclists, pedestrians and even other vehicles that are in close proximity to the truck.

The research project was commissioned by a UK local government body, Transport for London (TfL), in response to the disproportionate number of construction trucks involved in accidents with cyclists and pedestrians in London.

The project involved the modelling and analysis of 19 truck designs, allowing the variability in blind spots to be identified.

“Analysis of top-selling long-haul and construction trucks showed similarly large differences between best- and worst-in-class performers. The height of the driver – the higher, the worse – is a critical factor in the direct vision performance of a truck,” notes the ECF.
 
Transport & Environment (T&E) has called for the mandating of low-entry cab designs for new delivery trucks, while ensuring that all other truck types have direct vision performance that is at least as good as the current best performers.

Established in 1990, T&E represents around 50 organisations across Europe, mostly environmental groups and campaigners working for sustainable transport policies at national, regional and local level.

T&E says the European Commission is drafting new vehicle safety rules and has indicated that it will introduce direct vision requirements for new trucks from 2028.

“Out of all the other road users, proportionately, trucks are the most dangerous vehicles that cyclists come into contact with,” says ECF advocacy director Adam Bodor.

“A direct vision standard brings an opportunity to combat some of the features that make heavy goods vehicles a threat to cyclists and others on our roads.”

According to the European Transport Safety Council, 4 000 people die in truck crashes in Europe every year.

Many of these fatalities – almost 1 000 – are vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

More than a quarter (28%) of fatal truck crashes occur in urban environments, and more than half of lorry crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians in urban areas occur at relatively low speeds.
 
Dr Steve Summerskill, the principal investigator of the study and senior lecturer at the Loughborough Design School, believes that blind spots can be a significant factor in fatal accidents with trucks.

“Our study shows that the size of these blind spots is mainly determined by the height of the driver above the ground, but that the design of the cab can also have a significant effect. Reducing the height at which the truck driver sits, combined with improved window and cab interior design, can greatly reduce the size of blind spots and save hundreds of lives."
 
According to the Loughborough Design School the results of the research project have provided a mechanism for vehicle operators to select truck designs and specifications that are best-in-class in terms of reduced blind spots.

In addition, the project involved the production of concept truck designs that show how vehicles can be configured to reduce blind spots, while also improving the aerodynamic performance of standard truck designs.

The research output has also been used by TfL in the lobbying of the European Parliament to improve vehicle standardisation to allow safer truck designs in the future.