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Simple device helps safer driving
MOTORWAY “pile-ups” involving several cars are frequently caused by people driving too close to the vehicle in front. Advice from motoring authorities about safe braking distances tend to be forgotten when a driver gets out on the road.
A British motorist with an inventive mind has created a device to keep that information at the forefront of a driver’s mind. Unlike other expensive, electronic and complex driver safety aids, this one is very simple (it requires no batteries, no leads and no drilling), is easy to use, and low in cost.
The Braking Device Indicator (BDI) sits on the car dashboard, just above the car steering wheel. It has a plastic dial (less than four inches in diameter) that when turned displays four chrome line markers corresponding to travelling speeds: 40, 50, 60, and 70 miles per hour.
A driver can choose which to opt for according to how fast his vehicle is travelling. The chosen chrome line, which acts as a visual extension of his or her car bumper, reflects onto the windscreen – and the minimum braking distance needed is achieved by lining up the reflected marker with the rear tyres of the vehicle in front.
The inventor of the device, Max Riley, said the basic principle of the BDI is to help drivers to judge the correct braking distance from the vehicle in front without distracting their attention from the road.
The idea first came to him when he was driving along one day and noticed in his rear view mirror how cars could be framed within the lines shown by the heater element in the back window. “It was a long hard road from then on to get the product developed,” Mr Riley said. The turning point came when he met his now fellow director Stephen Jeffries, which meant that sufficient funding could be arranged to enable the product to be brought to the marketplace.
Part of the development process was ensuring that strict safety criteria were fulfilled. “The windscreen image had to be transparent yet visible in varying light conditions such as dusk and bright sunlight,” Mr Riley explained. In extreme weather conditions, such as fog, ice and torrential rain the image can be obscured which prevents the device from working.
Following extensive research and development, a valuable association was set up with precision injection moulders, Chelmer Plastics Ltd. “As the BDI is a high precision instrument, the hidden bonus of this company is that they are BSI registered and therefore accustomed to producing injection moulded items to the very highest specifications,” said Mr Riley.
The unit has been demonstrated at the Ford Motor Company test track, and two police forces have acknowledged its value. “They were stunned by its simplicity yet lethal accuracy,” said Mr Riley.
He added: Calibration of the device is equally simple. The unit is situated on the dashboard centred on the steering wheel. All a driver has to do is align the 40mph reflection on the feet of a helper standing 40 yards away. On the road the unit can be adjusted to generate reflection for a safe braking distance at 40, 50, 60 or 70 mph. — Dawn/LPS Feature
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