Safety permits for HGVs in London
Further to this, TfL have been working on a new Direct Vision Standard (DVS) to bring an end to pedestrians and cyclists being killed or injured as a result of accidents involving HGVs. This is an important component of the Mayor of London’s Vision Zero project, which aims to eliminate deaths and injuries caused by road vehicles by 2041.
The DVS is all about the view a truck driver has from the windows of an HGV cab. Under the new DVS, the extent of view is measured objectively and produces a star rating for trucks.
Linked to the DVS is a safety permit which now required for all lorries over 12t gross vehicle weight travelling in Greater London.
Key features of the Safety Permit scheme include:
- Star ratings awarded to every vehicle ranging from zero (poor) to five (excellent)
- From 26 October 2020, the minimum DVS rating will be one star
- In 2024, the minimum DVS rating increases to three stars
Vehicles not meeting the required star rating will need to meet new ‘Safe System’ requirements in order to obtain the mandatory safety permit. Safe system requirements compensate for the fact that a vehicle doesn’t meet the required level of star rating by specifying various after-market vehicle safety devices that an operator needs to retro-fit to qualify a vehicle for a Safety Permit.
The new ‘safe system’ requirements include:
- Blind spot elimination through a connected camera system
- Audible left-turn vehicle manoeuvring warning
- Proximity warning sensors installed on the near side of the vehicle
- External pictorial aids to warn vulnerable road users of the hazards of the nearside of the vehicle
- Class V mirror shall be fitted to the nearside of the vehicle
- Class VI mirror shall be fitted to the front of the vehicle
- Sideguards fitted to both sides of a vehicle where possible