Safety First with Smartbrake

Safety First... Always Can you afford not to fit Smartbrake?

In these lean economic times it is important to manage expenses and ensure that any funds spent are used wisely and to benefit the company’s bottom line. While safety is important often the expense on safety does not increase the bottom line and there is a reluctance to allocate the funds in a timely manor.

Smartbrake is a safety product designed to reduce the risk of accidents resulting from runaway driverless vehicles. In the event the driver exits the vehicle and does not apply the park brake, smartbrake is designed to apply the park brake automatically and sound an alarm in the cabin. When the driver returns to the vehicle a 4 digit code must be entered via the keypad and the system returns to normal. While it might sound unlikely that such a situation could happen. There are a number of accidents every year attributed to exactly this situation, some accidents resulting in fatalities, many going unnoticed as no damage has resulted.

Smartbrake monitors various sensors in the vehicle to determine if the system should be activated, these include the door, seat, park brake, and speed. Under the correct set of circumstances the system is designed to activate and apply the brakes. This helps to reduce the risk of driverless runaway vehicles. The system will not operate if the vehicle is moving at speeds above 7kph, however the alarm will sound.

Why do we need the Smartbrake system? In a perfect world we would not. However in todays rush and pressure for faster deliveries and the constant driver distraction of GPS systems, freight booking displays, radios, mobile phones, truck consoles, our drivers are constantly distracted and under pressure to get the deliveries done faster. With many companies operating JIT manufacturing processes a delay in delivery of materials can hold up an entire production line.

Such constant pressure can result in a momentary loss of focus and concentration. The driver exits the vehicle without applying the park brake, if the slope that the vehicle is on is only slight it might take a few seconds for the vehicle to start moving and may not be immediately noticed by the driver until it is too late. The resulting damage and potential injury can be significant and in the long term costly. If the runaway truck runs into buildings or structures or other vehicles or infrastructure, this can put trucks off the road or production facilities at a standstill. This results in production and income losses until the repairs are affected. Down time will impact on the company’s bottom line. If there is a workplace injury resulting from the runaway vehicle then the seriousness of the situation escalates to a higher level. Can you afford not to fit Smartbrake?

Smartbrake can help reduce the risk of these accidents and resulting damage and losses. The system once installed is transparent to the driver and no special action is required under normal driving, unless the system activates itself as a result of a specific set of conditions. Once activated the Smartbrake must be deactivated before normal driving can continue. The driver must enter his 4 digit code into the key pad to deactivate Smartbrake.

As an added bonus Smartbrake has a security feature. If the driver applies the park brake normally and then Smartbrake is activated by the driver, then the driver exits the vehicle within 30seconds the system acts like an alarm and security system. With Smartbrake activated if the vehicle is broken into the alarm will sound, if the vehicle is hot wired in an attempt to steal the vehicle, unless the 4 digit code is entered the brakes will not deactivate even if the engine is started, thus preventing the vehicle from being driven away or towed off. Even if the Smartbrake electronics is destroyed by the would-be thief, due to the unique nature of the system the brakes will still remain activated only the working electronics can deactivate Smartbrake.

Smartbrake was invented by Bob Callow a former truck driver who lost a colleague in a runaway truck accident. After this he put his creative and inventive mind to the problem, Smartbrake was born. The electronics has been developed by Mark Barber of Extron in conjunction with the inventor and patent holder. After more then 3 years of road testing and careful development a quality and reliable Australian made product is now available in the market to help protect our truck drivers and community at large.

Visit us: www.smartbrake.com.au

Add your Free Media Release to Thinking Business Today!