Every day, two people are killed or seriously injured on London’s streets by vehicles travelling at inappropriate speeds. Whether you’re pulling away too quickly, accelerating too hard or not giving yourself enough time to brake, the higher the speed, the higher the risk.
One hundred and twelve people were killed in personal injury road traffic collisions and casualties in Greater London, in 2018. A further 3,953 people were seriously injured and 26,526 more were slightly injured.
The Mayor Of London’s Vision Zero plan has been put in place, to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network by 2041.
The Vision Zero Action Plan
- Safe speeds: Encouraging speeds appropriate to the streets of a busy and populated city through the widespread introduction of new lower speed limits
- Safe streets: Designing an environment that is forgiving of mistakes by transforming junctions, which see the majority of collisions, and ensuring safety is at the forefront of all design schemes
- Safe vehicles: Reducing risk posed by the most dangerous vehicles by introducing a world-leading Bus Safety Standard across London’s entire bus fleet and a new ‘Direct Vision Standard’ for Heavy Goods Vehicles
- Safe behaviours: Reducing the likelihood of road users making mistakes or behaving in a way that is risky for themselves and other people through targeted enforcement, marketing campaigns, education programmes and safety training for cyclists, motorcycle and moped riders
- Post-collision response: Developing systematic information sharing and learning, along with improving justice and care for the victims of traffic incidents
What does Vision Zero have to do with Transport & Logistics?
If your vehicles are travelling in London, the onus for safety is not just on the Taxis, Busses & Motorist but for Commercial vehicle drivers and operators, too.
TFL Introduced the Direct Vision Standard (DVS), to eliminate Lorry’s blind spots and reduce the risk of injury or death in London. This is carried out by ensuring the vehicle is fitted with a safe system. The HGV driver needs to have a clear vision of pedestrians and cyclists through their windows/monitors.
TFL has released a handy tool to check your star rating, you can do this simply by entering your registration and checking your details. Alternatively, you can directly contact your vehicle’s manufacturer who will be able to provide you with the star rating of your vehicle. We provide a list of some popular manufacturer contact details here.
Here are the steps listed below you need to carry out if your vehicle is over 12 tonnes and travelling into London.
Step 1:
Do you require an HGV safety permit?
Step 2:
Find out your Direct Vision Standard Star Rating here.
Step 3:
Safe System requirements
Step 4:
Apply for your permit
What will I need if my vehicle is rated zero, can ACSS help?
ACSS can provide you with a safe system solution, this contains the required equipment that will enable blind spot elimination.
Recommended Kit:
- CCTV (Side Camera)
- Side-scan / sensor
- Left turn speaker
- Warning signage