If you work with fleets or manage commercial vehicles, you’ll may feel as if safety regulations are in constant motion. London’s lorry safety scheme is a good example of a policy that may have been a burden to many operators when it arrived. Yet, the impoved casualty rates in the capital point to a very positive impact.
New Transport for London data shows deaths and serious injuries involving vulnerable road users in collisions with HGVs have halved since the Direct Vision Standard launched in 2019. Average annual casualties dropped from 71 to 35 people.
It’s rare you see numbers move that sharply in road safety, so it’s worth digging into what has driven the change and what it means for operators.
A clearer view from the cab
The Direct Vision Standard sits at the heart of the lorry safety scheme. It rates how much a driver can see directly through the cab windows, using a one to five star system. The higher the rating, the fewer blind spots. Mayor Sadiq Khan described it plainly, saying he was proud that the scheme is “helping to save lives in London”.
TfL reports that, on average, six fewer people are killed each year and 21 fewer are seriously injured in collisions with HGVs since enforcement began. For a city the size of London, that shift is significant.
The updated rules and what they mean day to day
Last year, the system tightened again. Any HGV over 12 tonnes must now have a three star rating or be fitted with the Progressive Safe System to operate in Greater London. The safety permit scheme is still the gateway in, but the expectations have stepped up.
If you’re running a mixed fleet, you’ll know these rules hit older vehicles hardest. Operators have had to look closely at camera systems, side sensors, mirrors and other kit. For some, compliance becomes a rolling investment rather than a single job, especially as guidance evolves.
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The wider push behind Vision Zero
London’s lorry safety scheme doesn’t stand alone. It sits inside the city’s Vision Zero strategy, which aims to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2041. That might sound ambitious, but TfL’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman has made it a requirement that each new vehicle procurement includes safety-first features, from speed limits to mirror standards.
Asked whether London is on track, he said: “I hope it does. It’s an ambitious goal but there should not be a target other than zero.”
This fits neatly with this year’s Road Safety Week theme: Safe Vehicles Save Lives. Brake’s chief executive Ross Moorlock summed up the mood, noting the potential of modern vehicle technology and welcoming TfL’s ongoing action.
Why this matters for fleets and commercial operators
For businesses operating HGVs, the impact of these rules goes beyond avoiding penalties. They shape risk exposure, training, claims trends and even long-term planning for fleet renewal. The improvement in vulnerable road user safety is clear, and London’s policies often ripple into national thinking.
Whether you manage a single vehicle or a national fleet, keeping pace with requirements like the Direct Vision Standard, the HGV safety permit and the Progressive Safe System helps maintain compliance and protect your drivers and the wider public. Improved safety standards should also have the added benefit of reducing HGV and fleet insurance premiums for companies as claims frequency and average claim costs fall.
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