Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) account for 4% of Londons traffic flow, yet they are responsible for the largest proportion of pedal cyclist fatalities. Cycling in close proximity to HGVs is particularly dangerous due to the issue of blind spots. Unaware of a cyclists road presence and direction, fatalities are most likely to occur when HGVs turn or manoeuvre left.
The increase in mirror usage from new directives for retrofit blind spot mirrors, contribute to increased levels of visual attention, thus leading to visual overload. To aid a drivers poor situation awareness, an intuitive vibration in the seat provides feedback as to the whereabouts of a cyclist. Through exploiting the haptic sense, the problems of visual overload can be mitigated, leading to a reduced mental effort and a quicker reaction time. If you would like to know more about this project, please contact me.