In The Netherlands, four different side view systems for lorries were evaluated: two different Dobli mirrors, a camera system, and a rotating main and wide view mirror (an Automatic View Scanner, AVS). During the evaluation, 500 Dobli mirrors with a radius of 400 mm, 150 Dobli mirrors with a radius of 300 mm, 50 camera systems and 50 AVSs were mounted on lorries. Both lorry drivers and transport operators received two questionnaires. The objective of the first questionnaire that was taken when the system was mounted, was to obtain information about the problems related with the limited field of view and about the expectations regarding the side view systems. The objective of the second questionnaire was to obtain the experiences of drivers and operators. The results of the evaluation showed that all four systems were capable of increasing the field of view on the right side. Of the four systems evaluated the camera system presently seemed to be the best system and the AVS the lowest system. Nevertheless, all four systems had certain disadvantages that must be attended to. Most commonly, the drivers indicated that the Dobli mirrors ought to be heated and should not vibrate as they sometimes did. They also indicated that a problem with the camera system was (sun)light on the monitor and in the camera, and that the AVS should be improved with respect to a number of points such as its rotation speed and stability. The results of the evaluation also showed that a universal side view system is not suitable for each make and type of lorry. It is recommended that side view systems should be developed or adjusted specifically for a make and type of lorry.
Abstract