Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lamps (VALLs)
A Vehicle Avoidance Lateral Lamp (VALL) is an amber light (series of lamps) fitted to the side of a vehicle that projects a halo or carpet of light onto the road surface. This creates a visible “footprint” showing the space the vehicle needs to move safely.
This illuminated footprint acts as a simple, intuitive prompt for everyone on the road — whether they’re driving an HGV, bus, van, car, towing a trailer, or travelling on a pedal powered bicycle.
Whenever the vehicle’s normal lights are on, the VALLs are on too. This gives all road users a consistent visual cue in poorer lighting conditions, helping them understand the vehicle’s lateral boundary at a glance.
View layouts of:
'SINGLE' VALL
'COMBINED' VALL
'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.