EU rules out lorries with poor direct vision
Photo courtesy Volta - interior of prototype electric lorry
It’s official – lorries with minimal blind spots are going to become the industry standard. The European Union regulation (General Safety Regulation) to make this (and other safety measures like speed controllers in cars) has been formally approved by the European Council of Ministers.
As of mid-2023 all new model HGVs (fully new designs) will have to meet the new rules and by 2027 all new heavy lorries will have to meet them.
The very welcome measure to improve vehicle design took several years of hard work by the European Parliament, Transport for London and consistent lobbying by London Cycling Campaign, and our partners in the Action on Lorry Danger group, as well as fellow activists in Brussels including Transport & Environment and the European Cycling Federation.
We want to thank all LCC members and supporters who have backed our numerous petitions for safer lorries and those who have responded to TfL consultations on better “direct vision” (vision through the windscreen rather than via mirrors) for HGVs. TfL’s commitment to a direct vision standard led not only the recently launched Lorry Safety Permit scheme, that commences in London next year, but also drove the often protracted and laborious process of improving EU design regulations for HGVs.
London’s former Mayor, Boris Johnson, put the case for better direct vision to EU regulators, as did current Mayor Sadiq Khan, and his Cycling Commissioner Will Norman, who both argued for an earlier start date to reduce road danger.
Both TfL, and LCC, persisted with the call for a change in EU regulations, despite initial setbacks and delays, to finally achieve a result that will reduce road danger for pedestrians, cyclists and indeed all road users.
The same road safety regulations that introduce the direct vision standard will also require cars to be fitted with Intelligent Speed Adaptation devices , effectively speed controllers, though drivers will be able to override them. Vehicles will also have to have emergency braking systems and heavy vehicles will need to have “advanced systems that are capable of detecting pedestrians and cyclists located in close proximity to the front or nearside of the vehicle and of providing a warning or avoiding collision with such vulnerable road users.”
The direct vision requirement will now be defined by the UNECE – the Geneva based authority that decides on standards. According to the EU “ Vehicles of categories M2, M3, N2 and N3 (ed. - types of trucks and buses) shall be designed and constructed to enhance the direct visibility of vulnerable road users from the driver seat, by reducing to the greatest possible extent the blind spots in front of and to the side of the driver, while taking into account the specificities of different categories of vehicles.”