A pedestrian safety system with automatic slowdown detects a person near a forklift and reduces the truck's speed itself, instead of relying only on the operator to react to a warning. Detection comes from tags worn by pedestrians, cameras that recognize people, or both; the slowdown is applied through a connection to the truck's speed controls, so it is available on compatible forklifts. Staged systems lower speed in steps as the person gets closer and decelerate smoothly rather than braking hard. Slowdown reduces impact energy and buys reaction time; it does not guarantee a stop before contact.
The full overview is forklift collision avoidance systems. Many products sold as collision avoidance only warn, so confirm in writing whether a system intervenes and on which of your truck models, as discussed in what collision avoidance means.
In a pilot, test reverse travel, people stepping out from behind racking, and loads that block the operator’s view. Check how detection failures are reported, how deceleration behaves with a raised load, and whether the manufacturer approves the integration under 29 CFR 1910.178(a)(4). Train operators on the intervention so an unexpected slowdown is not mistaken for a fault.