Road safety: the Direct Vision Standard in question after an accident in Paris

On September 21, our colleague from Le Figaro Alyette Debray-Mauduy lost her life in a tragic bicycle accident, hit by a heavy goods vehicle while she was visibly in her blind spot.

This accident raises the question of the way in which road safety is promoted and ensured in France, and more particularly in Paris. In London, in 2019, a “Direct Vision Standard” (DVS) was passed.

It directly addresses the issue of heavy goods vehicles, explains a press release from the operating company of London's public transport, Transport for London (TfL). Implemented in 2021, this regulation, applied by Transport for London, requires all heavy goods vehicles over 12 tonnes to have a permit to travel within the greater London area.

The DVS standard assesses the visibility offered by the cab windows of a heavy goods vehicle and indicates the risk levels for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.).