New regulations concerning the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) are due to come into effect on 28th October, 2024.
Since DVS was first enforced in March 2021, fatal collisions in Greater London to which poor vision was a contributing factor appear to have fallen by 75%, according to Transport for London (TfL). The upcoming changes are aimed at taking London even closer to its Vision Zero target to eradicate all deaths and serious injuries from its transport network by 2041.
How will the upcoming changes to DVS impact your fleet?
According to the Transport and Environmental Committee, these changes will impact 90% of HGVs over 12 tonnes currently travelling on London’s roads – approximately 165,000 vehicles.
Currently, HGVs over 12 tonnes in London need to carry a safety permit. To continue qualifying for such a permit after 28th October, 2024, HGVs operating in London will need one of the following:
1) A minimum three-star DVS rating, which is an increase from the original one-star requirement. The DVS is designed to measure a driver’s direct view through the windows of an HGV cab, and to define the level of risk to road users near the vehicle. The rating system ranges from zero (worst) to five (best), and the score is defined by the vehicle manufacturers.
2) A Progressive Safe System (PSS). This is a set of safety measures fitted to a vehicle, designed to reduce the risk that zero, one and two-star vehicles pose to vulnerable road users.
How will the PSS differ from the original Safe System?
The PSS introduces the latest advancements in technology, which means that some operators may need to replace their existing equipment with new, more advanced technology.
1) The PSS will be for all vehicles that have a DVS rating of zero, one or two stars. The original Safe System was only required for vehicles with a zero star rating.
2) The PSS will tighten requirements for the Blind Spot Information System (BSIS) that detects Vulnerable Road Users to the vehicle’s nearside.
3) The PSS will include a Moving Off Information System (MOIS), not required in the current Safe System. This detects vulnerable road users in front of the vehicle, as opposed to the nearside.
The exact requirements can be found in TfL’s Direct Vision Standard: Guidance for operators.
How can you ensure your drivers are on board with the new PSS?
One PSS requirement states that front sensor systems must be active and not provide false alarms.
As the London Transport and Environment Committee explained in their original proposal for the newly-approved changes, false alarms “lead to annoyance, potential cognitive overload and a lack of trust in the system”, resulting in alerts being “ignored or switched off.”
False alarms were a frequent issue for many drivers using the original Safe System. The regulation enforced in 2021 mandated only that manufacturers do what they can to reduce false alerts, and this partial measure was not enough. To ensure that this doesn’t happen with the new PSS, fleet operators will need to choose their new technology carefully.
Mobileye can help to gain drivers' confidence with regard to the new PSS requirements. Our Mobileye Fisheye[2] ™ system which will comply with the new PSS requirements and which is expected to achieve the regulatory seal-of-approval by the end of 2023, uses vision-based technology and AI to predict collisions, calculating the trajectories of the vehicle and vulnerable road users, ensuring that only critical alerts are generated with a minimal number of false alerts.
How should you prepare for October 2024?
October 2024 will come around quickly, so it's recommended to act now.
It is also recommended to take a long view that considers how DVS regulation may be further tightened beyond the October 2024 update.
