New CLOCS safety-optimised vehicles on display at CV Show 2015

Tue, Apr 14, 2015 09:31 CET

14 April 2015

CLOCS – Construction Logistics & Cycle Safety – will be demonstrating the construction industry’s drive to improve the safety of vulnerable road users at the CV Show 2015, with two CLOCS supporters showcasing the initiative as part of their own stands.

Between 2008 and 2013, 55 per cent of cyclist fatalities in London involved a heavy goods vehicle and nationally large goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are involved in approximately 15 per cent of cyclist and 10 per cent of pedestrian fatalities. Construction vehicles in particular have been found to be overrepresented in these figures. In London in 2011, seven of the nine HGVs involved were construction related.

Towergate is the first CLOCS Champion and FORS Associate member from the insurance industry and this year it will be co-hosting a stand – stand 5D29 – with CLOCS and FORS at the CV Show. Through the CLOCS initiative, the construction industry is working on three streams of work to improve the safety of more vulnerable road users. Towergate will be displaying a brand-new Mercedes-Benz mixer vehicle on the stand, designed to improve safety for vulnerable road users; just one example of how the industry has risen to the challenge of designing safer vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz itself, another early-supporter of CLOCS, will be displaying its 4x2 Econic Skip Loader vehicle on its indoor stand, 5D10 and its Econic 8x4 Tipper in the outside display area. Mercedes-Benz has launched a whole new generation of Econic vehicles capable of higher payloads, which improve the driver’s ability to spot vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians. Vehicles already in operation include a tipper, mixer, skip loader and curtain-sider (SIG) and all feature a low entry cab with bus door, a large glass area and a lower driving seat position to make it easier for the driver to make eye contact.

The three main focuses of CLOCS are improving vehicle safety, addressing the imbalance between the way on-site and on-road safety are treated and encouraging wider adoption of best practice across the industry through adoption of common national standards. The vehicles on display at the show are just one example of the work that has taken place over the last two years under the CLOCS initiative.

As part of their commitment to the Standard, the 17,600 vehicles used by CLOCS operators and clients will require retrofit safety equipment, including sideguards, mirrors, camera and sensor systems and left-turn audible alarms. However the ultimate aim for CLOCS is to reduce blind spots entirely, meaning that drivers have less reliance on their mirrors and camera systems. To achieve this CLOCS is looking to develop vehicles which increased direct driver vision, through larger or more windows and lower cabs. At a recent CLOCS progress event, there were 15 examples of these optimised vehicles on display, including the likes of DAF, Dennis Eagle, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Volvo.

Towergate Insurance CLOCS Champion, Jo Grosvenor, said: “While on-site safety is usually treated as a priority, on-road safety is unfortunately an area that is often forgotten about, a gap which CLOCS was set up to address. Over the last two years the industry response to taking responsibility for the issue of, in particular, collisions with cyclists, has been rapid and wide-reaching and 106 organisations from across the industry have now committed to the project. The evidence of this work is here today.

“But it only takes one vehicle to cause a death. Our aim at the show today is to demonstrate to those operators who aren’t already on board, how many options are out there for them to easily ensure their fleets are as safe as possible. With so many organisations already involved, it is only a matter of time before failing to comply will start to impact productivity and we encourage any visitors to come to see us on stand 5D29 to find out what it could do for their business.”

Media contacts:

Caroline Holmes, 020 7952 1072 / 07793 713886, cholmes@automotivepr.com

Martin Hayes, 020 7952 1071 / 07836 210009, mhayes@automotivepr.com

Notes to editors:

Implemented by local authorities through planning conditions and construction clients through contracts, the CLOCS Standard provides a common set of requirements to manage work-related road safety that can be adhered to in a consistent way by fleet operators.

For more information visit http://www.clocs.org.uk/

Between 2008 and 2013, 55 per cent of cyclist fatalities in London involved a heavy goods vehicle and nationally large goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are involved in approximately 15 per cent of cyclist and 10 per cent of pedestrian fatalities. A disproportionate number of these were construction vehicles. In 2012 Transport for London commissioned an independent review of the construction sector’s transport activities to understand the causes of these collisions and how they might be prevented. The resulting ‘Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety' (CLOCS) report was published in February 2013 by the Transport Research Laboratory.

In response, the construction logistics industry demonstrated its commitment to change and identified actions under three work streams to improve road safety. CLOCS brings together the construction logistics industry nationwide to revolutionise the management of work-related road risk and embed a road safety culture across the industry as the UK's population and economy grows.

Improving vehicle safety through design and manufacture of safer new vehicles and fitment of appropriate safety equipment to existing vehicles
Addressing the safety imbalance in the construction industry through ensuring road safety is considered as important as health and safety on site
Encouraging wider adoption of best practice across the construction logistics industry through taking best-in-class examples, developing a common national standard and embedding a new cultural norm.

*CLOCS Champions

CLOCS Champions are organisations and /or individual construction projects actively implementing the requirements within and ensuring compliance to the CLOCS Standard. These may be fleet operators, construction clients, developers or other organisations which by the nature of their business may not be able to actively implement the Standard but commit to supporting its implementation and purpose.

Champions are listed on the CLOCS website and are able to use the CLOCS logo and branding elements on their site material and stationery to promote CLOCS and specifically the Standard.

Organisations wishing to become CLOCS Champions should read the Terms of Reference and sign a Memorandum of Understanding, both of which are available on the CLOCS website, www.clocs.org.uk.