"It is neither inevitable nor acceptable that anyone should be killed or seriously injured when travelling in London. When we leave our homes each day, we should feel safe and confident about the journey ahead".

London Mayor, Sadiq Kahn

Sadiq Kahn, Transport for London (TfL), the police and other partners are stepping up the fight against needless deaths and injuries on London's roads by committing to Vison Zero alongside the latest tightening of the Direct Vision Standard (DVS). The aim is to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London's roads by 2041.

London is joining other major cities across Europe and the USA in an international movement to reduce road accidents by implementing the new safety measures, expected to soon be more widely adopted across the UK.

The DVS sets a minimum requirement for how much a driver can see from their cab to avoid colliding with vulnerable road users especially when turning left, assessed by a star rating from 1-5. It requires all operators of HGVs weighing over 12 tonnes to apply for a free permit to operate in London. The tightening of the scheme will raise the vision minimum requirements from one star to three stars with a progressive safe system needing to be fitted to lower rated vehicles.

So, operators now need to be aware that vehicles which were previously compliant will need to be retro fitted with DVS compliant safety systems, before the new measures come into force in October 2024.

Electronic manufacturers are joining the Vision Zero movement by stepping up innovation and production to meet the demand for ever more advanced products, including cameras, sensors and connectivity, bringing forward new products to meet the increased demand for advanced safety specialised technology.

Steve MacDonald of SM UK, the UK's No1 auto electrical installation company, applauds the Vision Zero and the DVS, and is excited about the potential safety benefits of the exciting new technologies coming on to the market.

He explained that among the new measures is a requirement for audio warnings to be fitted to all vehicles, including those with left hand drive to ensure all vehicles operating in London have the ability to warn of an intended manoeuvre. However, audio warnings are not always adequate in these days of the almost universal use of headphones. So, among the new products the HALO® system provides a visual warning in addition to those down the vehicle's nearside or offside, by flashing an amber ‘Halo' on the ground in unison with the vehicle's indicators. These high intensity LED lights are fitted with a speed switch, so that they are only activated at lower speeds.

Another innovation, ensuring drivers are aware of the presence of vulnerable road users is ‘Radar Predict' a system using a combination of radar technology and artificial intelligence to detect road vehicles, objects and vulnerable road users up to five metres from the side of the vehicle, seven metres in front of the vehicle and up to 30 metres to the rear of the vehicle's cabin (which means the system can now include a tractor unit and trailer). It predicts the likelihood of a collision and provides the driver with an alert, giving them sufficient time to take evasive action. The system can be fitted onto any large vehicle, including buses, rigids and articulated trucks, and uses learning capabilities to recognise the existence of a trailer.

Updates to the existing guidance on the use of mirrors and mirror-replacement includes Camera Monitoring Systems (CMS), to be fitted on vehicles to eliminate any remaining blind spots on the passenger side, sensors providing full coverage down the passenger side of all vehicles and Moving Off Systems MOIS) fitted to the front of a vehicle to prevent collisions at the frontal blind spot zone when a vehicle moves off from rest.

To avoid incurring charges and the risk of losing your operator's licence, it is critically important to have any additional equipment fitted by a reputable supplier. Fined, imprisoned, or shut down… These are just a few of the options that could well affect your livelihood if the VCA coming knocking at your door and discover that you or your vehicle supplier has NOT used a ‘Type Approved' product or the work was not carried out by a fully Type Approved fitter.

For more information contact Chris Owen at SM UK on 0845 388 3816 or visit the web site at www.smuk.co.uk. For the past 20 years SM UK have provided a full set of safety systems that aim to reduce road deaths and improve driver behaviour