Reducing Rear End Collisions for Commercial and Utility Vehicle Fleets. (Click here to see our Reflective Rear Panel Products)
In the US alone there are approximately 137,500 accidents that involve commercial vehicles. To bring this into perspective, every 16 minutes, one person is injured or killed in an accident involving a commercial vehicle.
Approximately 50% of these accidents occur in daytime and about 50% occur at night.
About 1/3 of these accidents involve rear end collisions. These rear end collisions are what our product addresses. The reason for stressing this particular type of collision is that other types of collisions can be reduced through driver training. However, reducing rear end collisions is a different matter.
Rear end collisions occur when a driver does not see a slower or stopped vehicle in front of them in time to stop. Vehicles that make frequent stops in or around moving traffic are especially susceptible to this type of accident. Since most of these vehicles are commercial, the liability associated with collisions can be substantial.
Increasing vehicle conspicuity or visibility is the key to reducing these types of accidents. Increased visibility equates to more reaction time which in turn leads to a substantial reduction in collisions.
The use of bright, high visibility, reflective tape either in a chevron pattern or in an alternating pattern has been shown to reduce accidents by up to 41%. The effectiveness of this method has been proven in the fire apparatus and emergency vehicle market.
(click here for a more detailed three part article on reducing rear end collisions)