As Transport for London (TfL) marks this year’s Road Safety Week it has released new data showing that the world-leading Direct Vision Standard (DVS) is helping to save lives in London. Since the lorry safety scheme, which reduces lethal blind spots, was introduced in 2019, an average of six fewer people have been killed and 21 fewer people seriously injured in collisions with Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) every year. This totals 19 fewer deaths and 62 fewer serious injuries since the DVS was enforced (2022-2024). [1]
Road Safety Week, led annually by the charity Brake, is a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging safer behaviours on our roads. This year’s theme is ‘Safe Vehicles Save Lives’, aligning with TfL’s ongoing commitment to improving vehicle safety to make London’s streets safer.
The DVS and HGV Safety Permit Scheme, supported by enforcement and education interventions, is a key part of the Mayor of London’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network, improving safety of people walking and cycling by improving driver visibility from HGVs. Last year, TfL strengthened DVS requirements even further, with all HGVs over 12 tonnes required to have a three-star rating or fit Progressive Safe System measures to operate in Greater London.
Newly published road safety data from 2024 shows that since the Direct Vision Standard was introduced, the number of people walking, cycling or motorcycling killed or seriously injured in a collision with an HGV has fallen from an average of 71 people per year in 2017-2019 to 35 people in 2024. The number of people killed has fallen from an average of 17 per year (2017 – 2019) to 11 per year (2022-2024). Over the last three years (2022-24) the number of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists killed or seriously injured in collisions with HGVs has dropped by more than a third compared with data between 2017-2019. In comparison, over the same period, the reduction across the entire network was 4.5 per cent.
Despite this impressive and encouraging data, more work is needed to keep Londoners safe, and TfL will continue to monitor collision trends and data to understand the impact of the strengthened DVS requirements.
The DVS and HGV Safety Permit Scheme is complemented by extensive enforcement activity, working closely with the police and TfL’s own enforcement teams to help organisations make deliveries safely in London. Enforcement teams monitor the road network to confirm that safety equipment required as part of the Progressive Safe System has been fitted and is working correctly.
The capital’s DVS is a world first and is having an impact across the UK and EU. The work TfL has undertaken with manufacturers has already seen the EU incorporate direct vision into safety standards. The European Commission expects that this, along with other safety measures being introduced, will save an estimated 25,000 lives by 2038*. [3]
TfL remains committed to making London’s roads safer for everyone, and is continuing to deliver a range of major programmes to reduce road danger:
The Safer Junctions programme has delivered life-saving changes at 45 junctions across London, with work recently finishing at Battersea Bridge
TfL has exceeded its target to lower speed limits on 140km of roads by March 2024, with 264km of TfL roads now subject to a 20mph limit
TfL continues to work closely with the Met Police on taking enforcement action against drivers and riders who speed, given the risk and harm it causes
The Bus Safety Standard (BSS) is setting a global benchmark for bus safety. Nearly a quarter of London’s buses now meet BSS requirements. An additional 35 per cent have been retrofitted with key safety features including Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology, which ensures buses cannot exceed speed limits. Other upgrades include changes to bus interiors to improve occupant safety, artificial sound systems to help road users hear quiet-running buses and the replacement of wing mirrors with camera monitoring systems to eliminate blind spots and improve driver vision
Last month, TfL announced three years of funding for a support service for victims of the most serious road traffic collisions in London, alongside the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The contract, which began on 1 November 2025, will be delivered by national road safety charity Brake, which runs a specialist support service for road victims across the UK, and is facilitated by the Met Police. The service will play a vital role in ensuring that victims get the help and support they need following road traffic collisions involving a fatality or serious injury.
TfL has also recently launched two campaigns to address road safety challenges across the capital, including a campaign aimed at reducing road danger for cyclists and motorcyclists by urging drivers to ‘take another look, not a life’. The campaign highlights the human impact of road collisions and failing to look properly, and has been informed by conversations with bereaved families, facilitated in collaboration with RoadPeace. Another campaign launched in September aimed to raise awareness of key Highway Code rules – particularly those designed to protect people walking, cycling, and motorcycling.
During Road Safety Week, campaign activity will be upweighted and include TfL’s first use of lenticular posters, a large roadside poster which shows a different message when viewed from different perspectives.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Making London’s roads safer for everyone is a key priority and I’m proud to see this new data showing that my Direct Vision Standard is helping to save lives in London. I’m committed to eliminating deaths and serious injuries from our roads as part of my Vision Zero Strategy, and I’m determined to keep investing record amounts to reduce road danger, as we continue working to build a better and safer London for everyone.”
