Councils Favour Vehicle Camera Recording With New Features

When the Lichfield and Tamworth Joint Waste Service recently replaced some of its waste collection fleet, it took the opportunity to install the latest vehicle safety equipment on the new vehicles.

Coventry (I-Newswire) March 5, 2013 - After investigating suppliers in the market place the authority chose Coventry-based vehicle safety experts, Innovative Safety Systems Ltd (ISS), to equip the new vehicles. A one-stop shop for the design, supply, installation and maintenance of vehicle safety and visibility technology, ISS is well known for providing market-leading products, in particular hard-disk recording equipment.

Jonathan Thomas, Director, ISS explains why: “Our recording equipment is state of the art with features that provide an accurate record of exactly what has occurred at any point in time during a vehicle’s operation.”

Continued Jonathan: “We provide mapping software as standard so that customers can see exactly where each vehicle is, what operation is being performed and even vehicle data such as speed, brakes indicators and G forces. This information is crucial for the proper investigation of accidents or incidents for which insurance claims being made against the authority.”

Lichfield District Council provides the fleet management for the Shared Waste Service and first took the decision to fit vehicle recording equipment to its waste collection vehicles over three years ago, to help with accident investigations and to defend or reinforce insurance claims across Lichfield District and Tamworth Borough.

This year the authority had the opportunity to replace six of its fleet vehicles and at the same time fit the latest safety technology. The Dennis Eagle RCV’s have all been fitted with ISS RV4 Hard Disk Recording equipment, with four cameras situated around the vehicle providing 360-degree coverage. ISS has also installed highly effective reversing radars that detect static as well as moving objects unlike most other radars, which require a closing distance.

Nigel Harris, Waste & Environmental Protection Manager for Lichfield & Tamworth Shared Waste Service, said: “The safety of the public and our crews comes first so radars are a must-have. We had used CCTV and recording equipment before but this new technology is much more user-friendly. The recordings are in ‘true image’, not in the traditional ‘mirror view’, which can be very confusing and they can be uploaded directly to our computers or laptops. There is a dash-board providing detailed information about what manoeuvres the vehicle is performing and what equipment is in use, all in real-time.”

Continued Nigel: “ISS offered us the best package and the best value for money. The kit was installed and completed in one week.”

For the first time in its history, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in Liverpool has recently decided to install hard disk recording equipment, and ISS is fitting the technology to 25 new refuse vehicles.

Vincent Donnelly, Fleet Manager, Sefton MBC said: “We consulted with our crews regarding the specification of the new vehicles and the inclusion of hard disk recording was a unanimous decision. Everyone agreed that we need to be fully informed in the event of any incidents or accidents, as we have seen a growing number of insurance claims in recent years. ISS had been recommended to us by a number of vehicle manufacturers and we were impressed by their equipment during vehicle demonstrations.”

ISS designs, manufactures, installs and maintains the full range of safety and lighting products including reversing radars, CCTV camera systems, warning beacons and LED lighting packages.

For more information about Innovative Safety Systems tel: 02476 442 699

ENDS.