Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lamp (VALL)

The Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lamp is the name given to a ‘downward projecting’ amber coloured lamp that is designed for use on the roads during normal, everyday driving activities. The projected margin of light depicts an ‘area of high risk’ along the length and sides of the vehicle (daylight intensities permitting). The VALL can aid the driver to see along the sides of the vehicle in poorer lighting conditions when driving whilst at the same time, making the vehicle and its intended actions more conspicuous to other road users. The ‘area of high risk’ ought to be avoided in the interest of personal and others’ safety. The ‘area of high risk’ is not just a warning to other road users to steer clear, but it also reminds Vulnerable Road Users (VRU’s), of their own safety obligations to themselves and others of not getting too close, by keeping the ‘area of high risk’ unobstructed.

View layouts of:

‘ALL-IN-ONE’ VALL

Interviews Conducted During the Trial

Interviews were conducted during the trial and included a selection of bus drivers, a garage manager, a police officer, a claims manager, a haulage truck owner/driver and a coach workshop manager. The interviews from the above groups were found to be positive and in favour of the VALLs. The participants discussed various advantages of the lights; they suggested that the system made driving the bus easier: “It makes life easier definitely, it makes life easy.” All of the participants agreed with this sentiment. They also expressed the opinion that the lights would be especially useful for Central London routes where there is a large number of passengers and pedestrians.

None of the drivers had any incidents or near misses when they had the VALL’s operational on the bus.

Compare the functions of the VALL’s

Coach in the Lake District