A forklift collision avoidance system works in three steps: it detects people, other vehicles or objects around the truck, judges the risk from distance, direction and speed, and then responds. The response can be an in-cab alarm for the driver, a warning to the pedestrian through a tag or light, and on compatible forklifts an automatic speed reduction or stop. Detection comes from tags, cameras, radar, LiDAR or a combination. Events can be logged, which shows safety teams where close calls cluster. These systems reduce collision risk; they do not remove the need for separation, training and safe driving.
The full guide is the collision avoidance systems overview, which compares the system types. The word avoidance covers a wide range: many products only warn, and only those wired into the truck’s controls through a CAN-bus or speed-control interface can slow it. Ask a supplier which response your trucks will actually get. Tag-based systems sense around corners but only protect people wearing tags; camera systems recognise anyone in view but need line of sight; combined systems try to cover both gaps. The collision avoidance comparison shows how products split along these lines. OSHA 1910.178 does not require these systems.