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Nationwide food supplier 3663 has taken delivery of more than 100 wide-angle camera viewing systems from Recognix to help drivers when reversing. "The type of deliveries we make, all in city centres with people everywhere, means you need to see what's behind you," says Graham Rennie, 3663's director of fleet.

Originally the company fitted distance sensors to its fleet and then supplemented them with conventional rear-view cameras. Now it has moved to the Recognix system. "We've just started  using them over the past few months and now use them on about 70% of our fleet," Rennie adds. "They offer a wider field of vision and don't have the same distorted image created by fish-eye lenses."

The distortion traditionally associated with such wide-angle cameras is removed by a computer-based system that converts the image from the camera into a flat-screen picture. "We install the camera and cable as normal and then connect them to the computer unit, usually in the cab, before linking to the LCD screen," explains Steve Rance, key account manager at Recognix.

The screens in 3663's fleet are fitted in the top corner of the cab and come on only when the vehicle is reversing. The ease of interpreting the images on the screen and the lack of distraction are important benefits of the system, according to Rennie. "It is a worry that drivers look too much at the screen and not enough at the mirrors, but it's not been a problem," he says.

The software has been  modified for 3663 to include safety lines that indicate the edge of the vehicle and distance lines to help work out the remaining distance between a vehicle and an object. "Camera systems have been around for a few years and we wanted to make them more usable and user friendly so you don't have systems fitted that drivers don't use," concludes Rance.