New Features Make Vehicle Recording A Hit With Councils

When the Lichfield and Tamworth Joint Waste Service recently replaced some of its waste collection fleet, it took the opportunity to install the latest vehicle safety equipment on the new vehicles. After investigating suppliers in the market place the authority chose Coventry-based vehicle safety experts, Innovative Safety Systems Ltd ISS, to equip the new vehicles.

Jonathan Thomas, Director, ISS explains why: Our recording equipment is state of the art with features that provide an accurate record of exactly what has occurred at any point in time during a vehicle's operation. We provide mapping software as standard so that customers can see exactly where each vehicle is, what operation is being performed and even vehicle data such as speed, brakes indicators and G forces. This information is crucial for the proper investigation of accidents or incidents for which insurance claims are being made against the authority.

How new recording features won over Lichfield and Tamworth

Lichfield District Council provides the fleet management for the Shared Waste Service and first took the decision to fit vehicle recording equipment to its waste collection vehicles over three years ago. The Dennis Eagle RCVs have all been fitted with ISS RV4 Hard Disk Recording equipment, with four cameras providing 360-degree coverage. Nigel Harris, Waste and Environmental Protection Manager for Lichfield and Tamworth Shared Waste Service, said: The safety of the public and our crews comes first so radars are a must-have. We had used CCTV and recording equipment before but this new technology is much more user-friendly. ISS offered us the best package and the best value for money. The kit was installed and completed in one week.

For the first time in its history, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in Liverpool has recently decided to install hard disk recording equipment, and ISS is fitting the technology to 25 new refuse vehicles. Vincent Donnelly, Fleet Manager, Sefton MBC said: We consulted with our crews regarding the specification of the new vehicles and the inclusion of hard disk recording was a unanimous decision. Everyone agreed that we need to be fully informed in the event of any incidents or accidents, as we have seen a growing number of insurance claims in recent years.