Compliance with Direct Vision Standards: What Fleet Operators Need to Know

From 28 October 2024, all vehicles over 12 tonnes must have a Direct Vision Standard (DVS) safety permit when operating in or travelling into or through Greater London. According to Transport for London’s (TfL) updated DVS, heavy vehicles must meet Progressive Safe System requirements to obtain at least a three-star rating to qualify for a permit. If you’re a fleet manager, this could mean taking various steps to prepare your fleet for compliance.

DVS: Key Criteria

The DVS is an important legislation that was launched in 2019 and came into effect in March 2021. Aimed at enhancing road safety by reducing blind spots and improving driver visibility, the DVS has since been updated. 

The updated legislation will raise the minimum requirement to a three-star rating starting in October of this year. The star rating is based on the driver’s visibility from the cab. For a vehicle to receive a three-star rating, the driver must have good direct vision from the cab without major blind spots, and the vehicle must be fitted with the safety features and equipment required by the DVS. 

Essential Safety Features and Equipment

The essential safety features and equipment required by the Progressive Safe System and the updated DVS include:

Camera Monitoring System (CMS): To eliminate the blind spot, a CMS must be fitted to the nearside of all heavy vehicles in the fleet. If the vehicles have a CMS, Class V and VI mirrors are not needed.

Blind Spot Information System (BSIS): All heavy vehicles in the fleet must be fitted with a BSIS to warn drivers about potential left-turn collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. The BSIS must not be activated by stationary vehicles or roadside furniture.

Audible vehicle manoeuvring warning: The new DVS requires all heavy vehicles to be fitted with a system that audibly alerts vulnerable road users when the vehicle turns left (or right if the vehicle is left-hand drive).

Moving Off Information System (MOIS): A MOIS must be installed in the front of all heavy vehicles to detect the presence of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, in the vehicle’s front blind spot when it moves off from rest and to alert the driver. 

Other Progressive Safe System requirements: Class V and VI mirrors must be fitted on the front and nearside of heavy vehicles that do not have a CMS to replace them. Heavy vehicles must also have external warning signage at least A3 in size indicating potential hazards in their vicinity, and they must have side under-run protection on both sides except where not practicable. 

Achieving DVS Compliance

Fleet managers whose heavy vehicles have less than a three-star rating should take several steps to achieve DVS compliance. The first step is to ensure those vehicles are fitted with a DVS solution, including a complete camera, sensor, and audio warning system. After installation, request written confirmation of the vehicles’ new DVS star ratings. If you do not know your vehicle’s rating, you can double check it on the TfL website.

The second step is to submit an application for a DVS safety permit, along with photographic evidence of the DVS compliance systems installed in the relevant vehicles and photographs of the vehicles’ registration numbers. Application forms are available on the TfL website. If the application is approved, fleet managers will receive their DVS permit electronically. 

TfL will enforce the DVS using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in greater London. Failure to comply will result in Penalty Charge Notices. TfL may also revoke or suspend the DVS permits of vehicles that are in breach of the permit terms. Non-compliant vehicles or those without permits will receive a penalty charge of £550, which may be reduced to £275 if paid within two weeks.

DVS compliance offers numerous benefits. These include reduced liability risks, improved safety records, reduced accident risk for fleet drivers and vulnerable road users, reduced spend on vehicle repairs due to fewer accidents, reduced risk of facing lawsuits or loss of reputation, and potentially lower insurance premiums.

Road safety is an unavoidable issue in the UK, and the DVS is part of a concerted effort by the Mayor of London to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on the capital’s roads. While compliance can contribute to making this vision a reality, it also has many benefits for fleet managers, drivers, and other road users.