Launched in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has become a multi-national road traffic safety project, highlighting the importance of equitable mobility for all.
Vision Zero’s principles focus on the fundamental improvements that need to be made to improve road safety standards, along with the policies that should be put in place, to prevent needless fatalities and injuries caused by road traffic collisions.
The Vision Zero movement has been pivotal to enhancing road safety across the world with numerous countries adopting the initiative to update and enhance their road safety regulations. This includes the introduction of London’s Direct Vision Standard in the UK, and the European Commission’s initiative, Europe on the Move, which seeks to shape and improve road and mobility systems of the future.
Along with ever-evolving road safety regulations, comes the growing responsibility for transport operators, fleet managers and drivers to ensure their vehicles correctly comply with the legislation. This can be particularly challenging when travelling cross-border.
Efforts to improve road safety in Europe and the UK have resulted in a raft of varying road regulations, rules and specifications for different types of vehicles.
Although initiatives like Europe on the Move and the EU General Safety Regulation share a common goal – to improve road safety standards across the region – each country and its relevant governing body are independently responsible for reviewing and putting in place their own legislation.
This means that rules for road safety will inevitably differ from nation to nation. The cross over between left-hand lane driving to right-hand lane driving between the UK and Europe further complicates matters.
In October 2020, the Direct Vision Standard was introduced in the UK. The first legislation of its kind in Europe, it specifies that all goods vehicles weighing more than 12 tonnes require a permit to drive into Greater London, including vehicles from outside the UK.
To qualify for a permit, vehicles are issued with a star rating and those rated 0-1 star (0-3 stars from 2024) will need to be equipped with the DVS Safe System.
From July 2022, all long trucks in Germany that weigh up to 44 tonnes and are 25.25 metres in length must abide by Abbiegeassistent. Alongside this, the regulations recommend (but don’t require) that trucks weighing over 7.5 tonnes are fitted with a side camera and a side sensor warning system to alert drivers to objects and people in the nearside blind spot – this is especially important when the vehicle is turning right.
Germany’s Abbiegeassistent rules also apply in Vienna, Austria.
From January 2021, new safety regulations were introduced in France requiring all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, whether they are used for goods or passenger transport, to display blind spot stickers. These stickers, known as ‘angles morts’, must be clearly and appropriately displayed on both the sides and the rear informing others of the vehicle’s blind spots. HGVs operating in France without the appropriate stickers will risk a penalty fine of up to €750.
Here at Brigade, we have a wide range of high-quality vehicle safety systems and devices to ensure you are compliant with the various regulations across the UK and Europe.
This includes the DVS Safe System kits.
Further information about the products mentioned in our Driving in Europe infographic are detailed below:
A camera system that monitors the near-side vehicle blind spot.
A four-sensor system that informs driver of objects within close proximity of the near side blind spot where cyclists or pedestrians can go undetected. The system is activated by the left turn indicator.
Side turn warning to alert cyclists and pedestrians. The side turn warning alarm activates on left turn indication and offers a combination of White Sound® and real speech.
Sidescan®Predict instantly alerts the driver to potential dangers via a multi-stage in-cab visual and audible warning system, according to the urgency of the situation – therefore minimising the number of audible alerts and reducing false alarms.
Our patented White Sound® reversing alarm is not only the safest alarm in the world due to its instant directional sound that can be immediately located, but, with the inclusion of our self-adjusting models, it is also the smartest. Brigade’s bbs-tek® SMART reversing alarm continually adjusts to 5-10 decibels above the background sound level, making it ideal for environments with varying levels of noise.
Our range of commercial vehicle safety systems and devices can be retrofitted to a variety of vehicle types, makes and models, including DAF, Scania, Volvo, Mercedes, Iveco and many more.
Our network of Brigade Service Partners and approved fitters are carefully chosen for their high standards of technical knowledge, fitting capabilities and customer service.
Whether you have a large fleet of vehicles or operate vehicles at multiple sites throughout the UK, the BSP network can support your needs, including supply, installation, warranty work and after-sales support.
You can find out more about DVS regulations and how our customers are benefiting from fitting Brigade’s commercial vehicle safety systems by visiting the following blogs and case studies:
