Direct Vision Standard shows trucks in London are safer

14 June 2021

Three months of TfL’s world-first Direct Vision Standard shows lorries in London are safer.

TfL, working with the London boroughs, the freight industry and campaign groups, delivered a radical improvement to road safety in the UK in March with the introduction of the pioneering Direct Vision Standard (DVS).

Three months on data shows that the vital lorry safety scheme, which reduces lethal blind spots, is already helping to save lives and prevent life-changing injuries.

TfL's Direct Vision Standard scheme requires owners of Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) weighing more than 12 tonnes to apply for a free permit that assigns vehicles a star rating based on how much the driver can see directly through their cab windows in order to be able to drive in London.

The Direct Vision Standard measures how much an HGV driver can see directly through their cab windows. This indicates the level of risk to vulnerable road users, such as people walking and cycling, near the vehicle.

The Direct Vision Standard and HGV safety permit for HGVs is part of the Mayor of London's Vision Zero plan  to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London's transport network by 2041.