New York, N.Y — Together for Safer Roads (TSR) is announcing the formation of the TSR Direct Vision Leadership Council.
“Introducing direct vision vehicles into fleets — especially those operating in urban environments — can help reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities,” said Peter Goldwasser, TSR executive director. “Our new Direct Vision Leadership Council provides an essential forum for key stakeholders — drivers, manufacturers, fleet managers and operators, and insurance and safety experts — to share information about the potential and practicalities of direct vision vehicles and provide their expertise to guide future safety research and development.”
Reducing Fatalities and Injuries
Making sure that drivers can see what’s happening on the road in front, and to the side of them, is essential to reducing roadway fatalities and injuries, according to TSR. Research shows that driving a conventionally designed truck results in a 23% increase in pedestrian collisions versus trucks optimized for direct vision. In contrast, in London, where trucks have been required to meet a direct vision standard since 2019, the city has recorded a 49% reduction in the number of fatal collisions involving large trucks and a 64% reduction in crashes causing severe injuries where vision was a factor.
“Safer, high vision fleet vehicles are a long-term priority at Dennis Eagle and we look forward to working with our colleagues across the industry to increase access to this life-saving equipment,” said Geoff Rigg of refuse collection vehicle manufacturer Dennis Eagle Inc., who will serve as a co-chair of the Leadership Council. “The TSR Direct Vision Leadership Council will harness the power of collaboration as we all work toward the shared goal of safer fleets and roads.”
TSR Direct Vision Leadership Council
Composed of vehicle OEMs, large and small fleet operators, insurance providers, and other key stakeholders, the formation of the Council follows TSR publishing its foundational ‘Direct Vision Transition Guide: An Operator’s Guide to Transforming Fleets for Safety.’ It coincides with a number of pilot programs launched to demonstrate the safety benefits of direct vision vehicles.
One key goal of the Leadership Council’s work will be to identify barriers and address challenges that can hinder widespread adoption of direct vision vehicles in North American fleets. Challenges include:
- Lack of awareness about the benefits of direct vision.
- Procurement policies restricting what types of vehicles municipal governments can buy.
- Perceptions that direct vision vehicles are only applicable in the waste/recycling space.
The Leadership Council will help TSR and supporting researchers gather information on financial, road safety, and workplace safety benefits that can come from deploying direct vision vehicles.
Council Objectives
“We are excited to chart the course with TSR and other Council members to make high vision the norm in all fleets large and small,” said Bryan Fenster of refuse vehicle innovator McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing Inc., who will also co-chair the Council. “There’s significant potential to protect vulnerable road users through safety-focused truck design and collaborating with other innovators is the key to accelerating this process.”
To overcome these hurdles and expand the market for high-vision trucks in North America, TSR’s Direct Vision Leadership Council will:
- Identify misconceptions and answer questions about direct vision vehicles and support TSR in the development of key messaging materials.
- Provide data on crashes to develop empirical analyses of direct vision benefits, such as safety as well as claims and insurance costs.
- Identify procurement barriers and suggest opportunities to address them.
- Leverage internal resources to spread information about direct vision vehicles to primary and secondary market purchasers.
Driver Visibility
“As the nation’s largest municipal fleet in one of the most densely populated urban areas, we know that driver visibility in trucks is crucial to safety,” said Keith Kerman, NYC chief fleet officer, deputy commissioner the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). “Just last year, the City issued a critical new policy, Executive Order 39, directly addressing this issue, by mandating that all city fleet and contractor trucks meet minimum vision standards or be equipped with surround cameras to address blind zone issues. Through the TSR Direct Vision Leadership Council, we will have an opportunity to share these experiences and guide other cities to develop safer fleets.”
According to Becky Mueller, a senior research engineer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, pedestrian deaths are at their highest level in 40 years.
“We are excited to contribute to this important group and help develop new insights for commercial vehicle safety,” Mueller said.
Partnering Together
“Partnering with experts, local agencies, and local communities enhances road safety,” said Andres Peñate, global vice president of corporate affairs at AB InBev and board chair of TSR. “We believe that continuously improving commercial vehicle design and advancing safety technology are key to making roads safer — with the new TSR Council providing strategic direction for this effort.”
Christina Calderato of Transport for London noted that implementation of more stringent direct vision requirements for operating a heavy goods vehicle in Greater London has proven to reduce serious injury and death on the roads.
Collaboration for Change
“We pride ourselves on creating a strong safety culture at UPS and look forward to collaborating on TSR’s Direct Vision Leadership Council,” said Cormac Gilligan, global head, environment, health and safety at UPS and board member of TSR. “By working together and sharing our expertise, we can help improve road safety for everyone.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
