Safety systems designed for vans

Brigade Electronics has introduced Brigade Van, a new product range that includes a variety of vehicle safety solutions designed for the van market.

Figures released by Transport Canada revealed that vans accounted for nearly 25 percent of all deaths on Canadian roads in 2020 – nearly five times more than trucks. Additionally, vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, made up 30 percent of fatalities.

As the number of vans on the road in Canada continues to rise, transport managers and drivers face an increasing number of challenges. These include risk of collisions due to vehicle blind spots, theft and criminal activity, driver error, insurance ‘crash for cash’ scams and more stringent van legislation.

Brigade Van has been developed to address the challenges faced by van operators and provide a range of high-quality vehicle safety solutions that will reduce the risk of collisions, eliminate blind spots, cut insurance premiums, encourage driver best practice and serve as a deterrent against theft, vandalism and insurance scams.

“Vehicle safety equipment, such as back up alarms, sensors and cameras, have proved to prevent collisions and protect vulnerable road users,” said Warren DiMarco, CEO of Brigade Electronics Canada.

“However, many believe that this equipment only applies to larger vehicles, such as trucks and construction equipment. Brigade is hoping to change that with the introduction of Brigade Van.”

With van-related deaths accounting for such a large proportion of pedestrian deaths, Brigade Electronics is now working to encourage van operators to understand the need for these vital safety features.

The Brigade Van portfolio includes a camera monitor system featuring forward-facing and rear-facing cameras that provide real-time images of objects and people in the vehicle’s front and rear blind spots. These images are fed back to the driver via a ‘mirror monitor’ which clips onto the van’s existing rear-view mirror, making it quick and easy to install.

The camera monitor system can be integrated with Brigade Van’s MDR Digital Video Recorder and dash cams. This vehicle CCTV system, which records and saves footage, provides evidence in the event of an incident and acts as a deterrent against thieves and crash-for-cash insurance scammers – helping to cut insurance premiums and provide peace of mind for van drivers.

For electric and hybrid vans, the absence of a combustion engine means that when the vehicle travels at speeds below 12.5mph it is almost silent. As of 2021, every electric and hybrid vehicle on the road has to be retrofitted with devices that can be heard at low speeds. Brigade’s QVS Quiet Vehicle Sounder integrates its patented bbs-tek technology that creates a highly directional and instantly locatable sound to warn vulnerable road users of approaching silent electric and hybrid vehicles.