Additional blind-spot mirrors for buses, heavy goods vehicles to improve safety

SINGAPORE — Heavy goods vehicles and buses will soon need to have additional blind-spot mirrors to enhance road safety. Such vehicles typically have higher windscreens and window sills, and therefore have blind spots below the windscreen and at the passenger door.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the new requirement will be implemented from the second quarter of this year.

The additional mirrors will provide drivers with a better view of the area directly adjacent to the passenger side of the vehicle or below the windscreen. Drivers will then be better aware of pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists near their vehicles, especially when turning at traffic junctions or changing lanes.

The LTA said the requirement is a result of consultations done by the Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Committee with the industry over the past year. Chair of the Committee Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said members have been studying safety standards in other countries. The committee noted that having additional mirrors in larger vehicles can help expand the drivers’ field of vision and reduce their blind spots.

Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health, was speaking at the launch of a new Silver Zone in Jurong West. The Silver Zone programme involves the installation of senior-friendly road safety features in residential areas with high senior populations. CHANNEL NEWSASIA