Reversing alarms are a must – says safety expert

All commercial vehicles should be fitted with reversing alarms to help cut deaths, a leading road safety expert has said.

Christopher Hanson-Abbot, recently awarded an OBE in the UK for his services for vehicle road safety, believes the mandatory fitment of reverse warning systems will reduce fatalities.

Nearly a quarter of all work vehicle-related deaths occur during reversing according to current statistics, and although a large majority of vehicles are fitted with reverse warning equipment, regulations still do not make this mandatory.

“The law does not go far enough when it comes to preventing reversing accidents,” says Hanson-Abbot. “This urgently needs to be reviewed, bearing in mind that the UK is recording the same number of reversing accidents involving a vehicle at work as it did in the 1970s.”

Reversing isn’t the only safety issue Hanson-Abbot is concerned about, either. “Mandatory fitment of reversing alarms would be a positive start – but we also need to address all potentially dangerous vehicle manoeuvres by addressing blind sports to make the roads safer for all users.”