Safer Lorry Scheme Introduced For London’s HGVs


09/04/2015

The London authorities have geared up themselves on the safety security of HGVs colliding with cyclists, through Safer Lorry Scheme.


Dailycsr.com – 03 September 2015 – Greater London’s roads will no longer see any heavy goods vehicle without the “basic safety equipment” fitting as they have been banned in order to cater to the safety of the pedestrians and cyclists. As per the requirements of Safer Lorry Scheme, from the 1st of September 2015, the HGVs that weigh above “3.5 tonnes” will come under the ban, whereby they are to have guards, along class V and VI mirrors which will enable the drivers to have “a greater field of view” while the guards will act as a preventive mechanism for dragging any cyclists under the wheels.
 
I.H.T.F or the Industrial HGV Taskforce of London Transportation would be taking legal action for non-compliance of Safer Lorry Scheme. The I.H.T.F includes “the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency”. Moreover, the Mayor of London also reinforced the seriousness of the matter whereby adding I.H.T.F is taking:

 “…vigorous enforcement action against the laggards”.
 
While the Health and Safety informs that:
“Drivers found to be in charge of a non-compliant vehicle could be issued with a £50 fixed penalty notice, while the companies operating the vehicles could face fines of up to £1000. Repeat offenders risk losing their HGV operators’ license”.
 
The said rule is applicable in “all roads” with the exception of London’s Low Emission Zone’s motorways that runs 24/7. The U.K city introduced the first ever Safer Lorry Scheme so that the excessive number of accidents that cause fatal wherein mostly heavy transport vehicles and cyclists collide. As per the statistical data seven out of eight deaths of cyclists occur due to this very reason. The construction sector’s heavy goods vehicles have more come into the limelight for taking the incidents of such fatal accidents to “an even greater extent”, while many are reported to have got exempted “from national safety equipment standards”. In the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson’s words:

“We are ahead of any other part of the UK in closing the legal loopholes that allowed many HGVs to operate without basic safety equipment, and I am delighted that over the 18 months since we announced the Safer Lorry Scheme the vast majority of operators have got the message and fitted safety equipment to their vehicles in anticipation of the ban.”
“But this big step forward is only one element of my work to protect cyclists and pedestrians from lorries. I announce today that I propose to require further safety modifications to all HGVs in London, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots that contribute to so many tragic accidents.”
 
Furthermore, the launching of the said consultation will take place in the coming January, although the introduction of these measures are to appear in the month of “March or April next year”. In fact, the safety measurements will also be implied equally with “cycling groups, vehicle manufacturers and the freight industry” so as to arrive at a “direct vision standard” whereby required legal enforcement can be made possible.
 
References:
www.healthandsafetyatwork.com