On the non-driver's side of delivery vans is a blind spot, just like the blind spot occuring with trucks. Delivery vans these days are sometimes also offered equipped with mirrors offering a bigger field of view than required by law. Listing which mirrors are offered with which delivery van shows that those mirrors are offered on only a limited number of vehicles. The mirrors offered can roughly be divided in two groups: one where an a-spherical strip is added alongside the required spherical mirror surface, and one where extra wide angle mirrors are mounted. Analysis of accident data show a surplus of accidents occuring with vans turning, which is possibly a sign for a problematic field of vision. Improving the field of vision the non-driver's side of vans will therefore probably be a positive contribution to traffic safety. In the more distant future an improvement of traffic safety can be expected from active driver support systems. (A)
Abstract