A life-saving cyclist protection technology for LGVs is to be rolled out in Ealing, it has been announced.

Following a series of successful independent trials of a life-saving protection technology for Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) called Cycle Safety Shield, powered by Mobileye, Ealing Council will be the first to fit the system to all of their LGV fleet.

At the same time, Murrill Construction Limited, Ealing Council’s Highway and Civil Engineering Contractor, has committed to implementing the Cycle Safety Shield across its entire fleet of works vehicles.

The solution has also been trialled on London bus routes by Transport for London throughout 2014.

The Ealing trials, which began in 2013 and lasted for six months, showed positive results: 15 potential serious collisions with vulnerable road users were avoided.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, Ealing cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “We are committed to reducing LGV danger because we know they are involved in approximately two thirds of cyclist deaths in London. This technology can save lives and prevent more families having to experience the heartbreak of losing their loved ones in road accidents.

"The decision to select Cycle Safety Shield was based on the fact that the revolutionary technology not only protects vulnerable road users, but also improves driver training and allows the transport manager to assess the driver’s behaviour."

Driver behaviour improved by 20%, resulting in a fuel cash saving of £1,000 per vehicle per year. Further global research of the system has proven significant accident reduction of up to 45%.

After a spate of cycle deaths in London in late 2013, Ealing Council researched various safety technologies to address the dangers.

Jon Guest, Director at Cycle Safety Shield, said: “The roll-out of the Cycle Safety Shield will help to save lives across the borough. We welcome Ealing Council’s leadership on this vital issue and urge others to follow suit.”

Charlie Lloyd, road danger reduction campaigner from the London Cycling Campaign, said: “There have been another three tragic cyclist fatalities involving large lorries in London in the past few weeks. Preventing more deaths from these lorries is almost always the greatest concern for people cycling in London.

"The trial results we have seen suggest that the Cycle Safety Shield system will produce a step change in reducing this danger to cyclists. Providing drivers with a warning system they can trust is one of our Safer Lorry Campaign objectives.”

Cycle Safety Shield is the most advanced collision avoidance system available globally. It only recognises pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles and warns the driver if a collision is about to occur by way of a flashing and audio alert.

By filtering out other objects, the system eliminates unnecessary distractions for the driver. It has proven so successful it has been shortlisted for three 2015 London Transport Awards and is also currently being trialled on public transport in America, Spain, Australia, Denmark and Singapore.

The system includes a range of extra features including lane departure warning; intelligent high beam control; forward collision warning; speed monitoring; a 360 degree bird’s eye view camera which eliminates blind spots; audio reverse warning; and an LED display to warn cyclists the vehicle is turning left.