Patent ID: 8427340

Claim:
A system to communicate safety information from a spotter to a vehicle driver during a vehicle maneuver, the system comprising: a spotter module comprising a handheld unit operable by a spotter to communicate safety information to a driver operating a vehicle during a maneuver of the vehicle, wherein the spotter module comprises: (a) a switch module arranged to be in a first state when not actively operated by a spotter, and further arranged to be in a second state when actively operated by the spotter; and, (b) an illumination module operable to illuminate the spotter module to project visible communication signals from the spotter to the driver in response to the switch module being in the second state; a wireless module to receive status signals from the spotter module via a wireless communication link, the status signals including information indicative of whether the switch module is in the second state; a plurality of vehicle-mounted indicator devices for communicating to the driver safety information relating to movement of the vehicle; and, a vehicle-mounted control module arranged to control operation of the indicator devices, wherein the control operations are responsive to the received signals from the spotter module, wherein the first state corresponds to an indication to stop the maneuver, and the second state corresponds to an indication to the driver to proceed with the maneuver.