NuVech AirBar keeps drivers safe outside the cab
Safety equipment provider NuVech Solutions has developed technology to help prevent accidents involving drivers and operatives while working in the live lane on highways.
“It would be expected that driving is the most dangerous aspect of driver’s role, but this is not necessarily the case,” said the company.
“The real concern for driver and operative safety occurs when working around the vehicle. At this point, the driver must concentrate on their respective role, which leaves them vulnerable to passing traffic.
“Recovery operators, highways agencies, and the police the world over have all registered fatalities when working in the live lane.”
To help combat this problem, NuVech has created the AirBar: a vehicle-mounted, retractable safety device aimed at providing drivers and operatives with a safer working area when working in the live lane.
Before exiting the vehicle (and if using the nearside door to exit is not possible), the AirBars can be deployed, allowing the driver to egress the cab into a safer working zone.
“Drivers using our customers’ vehicles fitted with the AirBar system have recorded zero contact with the AirBar from any passing vehicle or road user (over a period of three years),” said NuVech.
“This gives well over two feet of space for the driver to work in. Nothing but pre-placed signs can come close to those statistics, but the key feature of the AirBar is that the driver does not have to put themselves at risk to erect a sign in order to make their role safer, merely flick a switch.”
The AirBar effectively doubles the perceived width of any vehicle it is fitted to, says NuVech, so approaching drivers slow down or move over (usually both), due to the visual impact.
The system uses a flexible membrane with integrated LED lighting which is inflated using a very low pressure to be rigid, but collapsible in the event of any incident.
The AirBar is totally damage-free if struck and can be walked through if the driver must pass.
The AirBar can be installed on any kind of vehicle involved in live lane or close proximity working; systems are available to cover all truck types and sizes.
The AirBar system can also be connected to the nearside indicator feed, so that at (or below) 15mph, when the indicator is used, the nearside AirBars deploy and the LEDs flash in conjunction with the indicator.
This alerts approaching cyclists and motorcyclists (who see a small gap ahead to ride through), that the vehicle is about to turn.
A trial of this system is ongoing for Transport for London, NuVech reports, with positive feedback from all drivers participating.
