Sentinel Systems has developed the Bike Hotspot to reduce the number of accidents involving road cyclists and commercial vehicles.

The system comprises four of Sentinel’s safety aids including a front corner system, side scan system, a side camera and an external sounder and can be customised to meet the needs of the vehicle and the driver.

External scanning sensors are fitted along the nearside of the vehicle as well as the front corner and are linked to an internal audio warning to alert the driver when there is a potential hazard.

For extra peace of mind, an external alert is sounded to warn the cyclist or pedestrian that the vehicle is turning left.

It is estimated 19,000 cyclists are injured or killed in accidents every year.

David Paulson, managing director at Sentinel Systems, said: “It is unacceptable that there are such a high number of incidents involving cyclists and HVGs every year and we are confident that the Bike Hotspot system will help to reduce these numbers and increase the confidence of drivers and cyclists, particularly in busy cities.”

Sentinel Systems won the product innovation award at the Safety and Health exhibition as well as a local Cirencester business award for outstanding product innovation for the system, which is designed to sense when a cyclist is within the blind spot of a large vehicle, a common cause for fatal accidents especially when the vehicle is manoeuvring or turning left.