Free Fresnel lenses for NSW truckies

A Fresnel lens is a thin plastic lens with concentric rings that provides a wide-angle view of the scene outside a vehicle window. The original application of the Fresnel lens was in lighthouses, to magnify the brightness of the light source; back then they were referred to as, ‘The invention that saved a million ships’.

Before reversing cameras became the norm on commercial vehicles, trucksales evaluated stick-on plastic Fresnel lenses on the back windows of crew-cab utes and light trucks, to enhance the rearward view through the interior rear-vision mirror.

They were thin plastic sheets, with sticky backing that made them very easy to fit. They worked a treat, giving wide vertical and horizontal views of what was behind the vehicles.

A more recent application of the Fresnel lens is on the near-side windows of large vehicles, to give a better view of what’s beside the driver’s cab.

Transport for NSW recently organised a trial of the Fresnel lens as a possible way of minimising passenger-side blind spots on heavy vehicles, by fitting these wide-angle devices to a number of heavy vehicles. The trial also gauged heavy vehicle driver attitudes after using the lenses.

The Transport trial found that 61 per cent of participants reported that having the Fresnel lens made driving at least a ‘bit safer’, but 15 per cent of drivers said the Fresnel lens had helped them to avoid a potential crash one or more times during the evaluation.

Transport for NSW is providing a limited number of free Fresnel lenses to NSW heavy vehicle operators to try. The lenses are mostly aimed at heavy vehicles over 12 tonnes GVM.

To order a Fresnel lens, truck owners should visit the Transport for NSW website and select the webpage that provides simple instructions for ordering and installing the lens.