The General Directorate of Traffic has presented a new voluntary sign for delivery vans, buses and trucks. The objective is to prevent vulnerable users from the presence of a blind spot.
The European Union has been working for some time on methodologies that help eliminate the risk posed by blind spots in vehicles, especially those dedicated to the freight transport, buses and trucks which, due to their characteristics, are more prone to it.
The basis of this work is the ADAS systems, but these are not yet mandatory, so the General direction of traffic has introduced a new blind spot warning sign.
The sign, whose placement it is voluntary, affects passenger transport vehicles with more than 9 seats, including the driver, (vehicles of categories M2 and M3 according to the General Vehicle Regulations), vehicles for the transport of goods of categories N1, N2 and N3 and waste transport vehicles in urban areas.
There have been certain changes in mobility and traffic trends in recent years that advise the use of this type of signal
Despite being a volunteer, the sign must meet the design and technical requirements defined in the instruction published by the DGT, to thereby ensure maximum durability and visibility. They must be marketed through authorized establishments that are registered as license plate handlers.
The placement of this sign is also standardized, so that it must be visible in all circumstances and in such a way that it cannot obstruct the visibility of the regulatory plates and inscriptions of the vehicle, the visibility of the various lights and signaling devices and the field. driver’s vision. The instruction details the number of signals to place and the position depending on the vehicle (two side signals and one rear in the case of trucks, buses and vans).
The statistics support it
According to the DGT, the reasons that have led it to create this new signal are related to the numbers of deaths in circulation in 2020.
Last year, 153 pedestrians, 134 motorists, 21 bicycle users and seven users of personal mobility vehicles (scooters, etc.) died on urban roads, of which a high percentage of accidents with fatalities and serious injuries occurred between vulnerable users and commercial and heavy vehicles.
Likewise, there have been certain changes in mobility and traffic trends in recent years that advise the use of this type of signal. Studies indicate that pedestrian, cycling, motorcycle and new forms of mobility have increased like VMPs in cities.
There has also been a increased traffic of commercial and heavy vehicles due to the growth of logistics activity and e-commerce deliveries, which in some cities reaches 25% of the circulating park. At the same time, the population is aging and 70% of the pedestrians who died in the city were over 65 years old.