The Direct Vision Standard (DVS) is a one of its kind legislation. All goods vehicles above 12 tonnes, including cars from outside the UK, will need a licence to travel into Greater London from October 26, 2020, if their car does not meet the requisite Direct Vision Standard (DVS) star rating.
The Direct Vision Standard was created to lessen the risk of bicycles and pedestrians being hit by HGVs by eliminating blind spots. When riding next to the nearside (passenger side) of HGVs turning left, many cyclists are at risk of severe injury or worse. Because HGV drivers are up higher than drivers of smaller vehicles, they may be unable to spot a cyclist on their nearside and turn left or right without realising it.
The Direct Vision Standard is thought to improve the safety of British fleets and roadways in general. The Direct Vision Standard will lower the likelihood of close-proximity blind spot crashes by boosting driver visibility, providing drivers with the skills they need to navigate safely and preventing harm to vulnerable road users. As a result, many accidents would be avoided, and many drivers and road users will be spared the stress of tragic crashes.
The Direct Vision Standard determines how much a driver can see through their cab windows and mirrors and the size of the blind zones that arise. It assigns a star rating to HGVs ranging from zero (worst) to five (best) (highest). For example, a driver in a zero-star car will have poor direct vision and will be unable to see a pedestrian’s head and shoulders if they are fewer than 4.5 metres away from the cab side. A five-star vehicle’s driver will have an excellent direct vision and will be able to see pedestrians, cars, and cyclists who are immediately in front of their vehicle’s cab side.
