Trucks have many innate safety issues that make them difficult, and often plain dangerous to drive in urban areas. This is not surprising as they were traditionally designed to be on open construction sites or motorways. When navigating tight city streets there are many more obstacles to worry about, and more chances of having to perform complex manoeuvres.

Cyclists are especially at risk, with 20% of cycling fatalities in London involving an HGV. The issue in many cases is that HGV drivers simply don’t have vision around the outside of the vehicle. The Mercedes-Benz Econic should address some of these issues, as it has been designed with city streets in mind. In traditional trucks, the position of the pillars either side of the windscreen in conjunction with the large mirrors and high seating position can obstruct vision of objects that are anywhere but directly in front of the truck. This is exactly the position where you would expect to find pedestrians and cyclists.

In the Mercedes Econic, the seats are at a lower position meaning the driver will be able to see cyclists that are riding directly along side the vehicle. The passenger door is fully glazed to further improve visibility and give a full view of the left side of the vehicle when trying to manoeuvre. The windscreen has been made larger in every respect, with narrower pillars to further improve driver vision and reduce blind spots. The view is not quite panoramic, but it is as close as is possible in a vehicle as large as this. Directly behind most trucks is another major blind spot as, unlike cars, there is no rear view windscreen. In the Econic, these blind spots are minimised with a suite of cameras, positioned to give the best possible view of the rear and sides of the vehicle. And it’s not all about safety. The truck is designed with driver comfort in mind too. Getting in and out of the truck in tight spots is made possible with the sliding doors that open fully along the side of the vehicle, and previously mentioned low cab positioning. The cab ceiling is high, offering exceptional cab space for a crew of up to 4.

It is yet to be seen if this new truck design will result in fewer urban collisions, but it certainly has the potential.

At Bridge Fleet Solutions, we are passionate about safety, and have a range of tracking, management and safety solutions designed for vehicle fleets of all kinds. If you would like to know more about the services we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Mercedes-Benz New Econic Trucks are Designed to be Safer
in Urban Areas....