Heavy vehicle rollaways are a common event in mine sites, and they occur far more than what is reported. On average, one heavy vehicle rollaway occurs every day in Australia heavy industry. Of these incidents, one per week requires emergency services intervention.
In April 2018, the chairman of Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association Peter Hart said to Prime Mover that this happens because the driver forgets to or does not apply the parking brake.
Many people suffer serious and fatal injuries due to incidents involving the uncontrolled movement (rollaway) of all types of heavy vehicles, including tractors, trucks, forklifts, mobile cranes, earthmoving equipment, waste vehicles, sweepers and more.
In most incidents, the predominant cause is where the handbrake has not been engaged.
Unfortunately, forgetting to apply the handbrake is a terrifyingly easy mistake to make when exiting a vehicle. Add to this the risk of rollaways when the driver uncouples the brake line or the air tank disengages the handbrake as it is pressurised during vehicle start.
According to a bus rollaways research that was released in 2016, 47 bus rollaways have been reported since 2000 in Victoria alone, resulting in injuries and fatalities to drivers and passengers, and damage to infrastructure, homes and vehicles.
But there is a solution: LSM’s internationally patented BrakeSafe is a handbrake failsafe technology that prevents runaway or rollaway accidents once and for all.
BrakeSafe will automatically apply the vehicle handbrake:
- If a driver forgets
- Leaves the seat
- Opens the door
- If brakes are engaged due to air pressure loss, BrakeSafe will monitor release to prevent rollaway during start-up
- Works with ignition on or off
- Provides audible and visual alerts.
In addition, BrakeSafe integrates LSMTechnologies – FSM Fleet Safety Manager Telematics / Web-based system for alerting, reporting, analysis of events and compliance.
For more information, see the following links:
- BrakeSafe: Anti-rollaway or runaway system.
- Testimonial videos (FloGas and Keir Group)
Also, see LSM’s other vehicle safety control technologies: Vehicle safety & control systems
Or contact LSM.