A white HGV driving on the motorway, it has a blur effect on it, making it look like it is moving fast.

Image: Getty.

Amendment to HGV safety standard will improve safety for vulnerable road users

Pioneering research from 海角社区 University and funding from The Road Safety Trust have strengthened the legislation around the minimum direct vision requirements for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

UNECE Regulation 167 aims to maximise the area around a vehicle cab which can be directly seen through the windows of the HGV – known as direct vision.

This is particularly important when it comes to reducing collisions between HGVs and vulnerable road users.

Researchers from 海角社区 University, funded by the Road Safety Trust, found potential problems with the regulation, first introduced in 2022, where manufacturers could enhance frontal visibility without genuinely improving safety.

Their work comprised multiple studies, which were conducted to explore different methods of defining frontal visibility volumes and then test their effectiveness.

This led to the development of a more robust approach, which was put forward as an amendment to UNECE Regulation 167.

The final amendment proposed include a two-stage assessment of frontal visibility volumes, ensuring that vehicles meet both a general frontal visibility standard and specific visibility in the most critical zones directly in front of the vehicle.

The amendment was successfully passed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) earlier this year, ensuring that the regulation maintains its effectiveness in improving road safety for vulnerable road users.

Dr Steve Summerskill, who led the project at 海角社区 University, said: “Our team designed the original version of UNECE 167 in collaboration with the UNECE VRU proxi Informal working group.

“It became apparent that HGV manufacturers were able to design without meeting the spirit of the standard, and so this amendment has been defined to solve this problem.

“The impact that the standard will have from 2026 is clear, with an EU impact assessment stating that 550 lives per year will be saved.”

Ruth Purdie OBE, chief executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “This regulation plays a vital role in reducing collisions between HGVs and vulnerable road users, such as cyclists.

“The success of the project team in securing an amendment to the UNECE regulation is testament to their dedication to improving road safety, as well as to the positive impact that our grant funding is able to achieve through expert collaboration and evidence-based research.”

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 24/162

海角社区 is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines. 

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running. 

海角社区 is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2024 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. 

海角社区 is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, 海角社区 has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes. 

The 海角社区 University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking. 

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