BLIND SPOTS IN THE WORKING VEHICLE
EXTERIOR MIRROR SYSTEMS
THE FIELD OF VISION REQUIRED FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF ANY TYPE OF MOTORIZED UNIT
Surrounding every vehicle is a circle of 360 degrees of area that could be affected by the vehicle when it is working or moving.This view requirement can be depicted graphically as follows:
Any part of the 360 degrees that cannot be viewed by the operator is
referred to in various ways
“Blind Spots” “Blind Areas” “No Zone Areas” to coin the phrase created by the Federal Motor Carriers Administration and some government agencies such as NIOSH do not name the area but instead define the problem it creates as follows:
"The blind spot creates a proximity detection problem and all these definitions mean one simple thing: a person or object in that area cannot be seen or detected by the driver of the unit when the vehicle is moving.
Vehicle operators and industry experts currently use 3 methods to manage the safety risks caused by blind spots:
- The operator’s direct and peripheral vision
- The exterior mirror system used on the vehicle
- Electronic equipment such as cameras and other detection devices.
PROBLEM: We assume that of the 360 degrees of required view, the operator will provide a view of 180 degrees of direct vision and 60 degrees of peripheral vision, which is available to help solve the problem if the configuration of the vehicle itself does not make it impossible to fully use these faculties.
The combination of the exterior mirror systems and electronic aides are left to solve the problem of the remaining unseen area. To understand contemporary thinking about the relationship of these two items towards solution of the problem requires an understanding of what has transpired in the market-place. In the United States mirror manufacturers simply have not introduced new mirror technology into the equation and instead have simply re-packaged old technology into prettier and more costly packages. Old technology is NOT SAFE and does not do the job no matter how attractive the pricing or the packaging may be.
With the lack of advancement in the safety mirror industry buyers, distributors and operators were forced to purchase the inadequate mirror technology and also search for added electronic solutions to the their safety problems hoping to solve the problem.
SOLUTION: M-C North America Inc. has determined this is now a THING OF THE PAST!! With our patented spot mirror technology we are showing our customers that there finally is a safe and revolutionary NEW!! solution to solve their problem. In fact, we maintain that the only area on some vehicles that cannot be shown by the exterior mirror system are the immediate back of the unit and this may be the only area where the operator will have to rely upon electronic equipment.
