What Is Chapter 8?
Chapter 8 has been introduced by the Highways Agency as a new regulation for attachment to road vehicles that are working on a highway and may cause other road users to alter course or direction or reduce speed. It is a collection of side fluorescent stripes and bright rear chevrons that must be made from a micro-prismatic material that reflects most of the light back that shines on it night or day.
The facts
It is a well known fact that acquiring rear safety markings on a vehicle will help to greatly reduce fatalities and vehicle accidents. In addition, you not only protect your employees and your vehicle, you also protect your reputation as a responsible employer, operator and business. The Department for Transport guidelines state that any vehicle, whether stationary or moving on a highway for work purposes should carry high visibility rear safety markings and be of a conspicuous colour and On vans and cars the safety markings comprise of red and yellow chevrons. They have two separate functions, the red is designed to make the vehicle visible at night and is retro-reflective, the yellow is highly conspicuous under all daylight conditions, including when the light is poor, such as at dusk or dawn and is fluorescent. The chevron patterning and the contrast of the two colours also help to increase the vehicle's visibility. There have been some important changes governing vehicle conspicuity by The Department for Transport. New EC legislation regarding truck conspicuity was introduced in October 2008. All of our high visibility products conform to the current legislation and DFT recommended best practice. It is important for all road users that all working vehicles comply with safety regulations and guidelines and are highly visible. We have extensive knowledge and experience in this area and would be more than happy to help if you require any further advice.
Chapter 8 Requirements and Rules: •On highways or high-speed roads, all vehicles stopping for works purposes should carry high visibility rear markings, this applies to cars, vans, specialist vehicles, HGVs and road maintenance vehicles. The High visibility rear markings should include chevrons comprised from alternate strips of red/orange fluorescent retro-reflective material and fluorescent yellow non-retroreflective material. The markings should not be any less than 150mm width each, inclined at 45-60º to the horizontal and pointing in an upwards direction. •The markings should not obscure the windows, vehicle lighting or registration plates but should cover as much of the rear facing part of the vehicle as possible. •All vehicle’s stopping on a highway for work purposes should be of a conspicuous colour (e.g. white or yellow). A non-reflective yellow colour is recommended. •All works vehicles that are used to protect the workforce should be of conspicuous colour and also have appropriate marking’s. •Red retro-reflective tape should also be applied to all rear facing edges of open doors, guardrails and equipment lockers. In addition to these guidelines it is also recommended that retro reflective strips should be applied to the sides of vehicles used to install or remove highway maintenance or temporary traffic management equipment.
Chapter 8 Legislation:
It is important for all road users that all working vehicles are highly visible and comply with safety regulations and guidelines. We have considerable knowledge and experience in this field and will be happy to help if you need further advice. Chapter 8 of the Traffic signs Manual (Traffic Safety Measures & Signs for Road Works & Temporary Situations) was issued by the Department of Transport. It provides guidelines for business’s operating on public highways on a variety of issues, including High Visibility Markings. Section five (5.2 & 5.5) outlines what conspicuous markings are required on Vehicles that stop for inspection purposes or work purposes on all public highways. In addition to the specifications regarding the colour of the vehicle, Chapter 8 also sets out the requirements for rear reflective markings on all vehicles stopping on highways and high speed roads. It affects any operator or business etc of small or large vehicles from road maintenance trucks, small vans and cars to HGV’s that intentionally stop for work or inspection purposes on high speed roads and highways. however generally speaking all vehicles must be marked up. Four marking options exist, but it is generally proven that high visibility film markings maximise the benefits related to being seen. In addition, Maintenance vehicles need to have a Highway Maintenance sticker when they are working on motorways. These must be of a certain size to comply with the Chapter 8 Legislation. Also, in temporary traffic management situations, supervisory, inspection, maintenance and management vehicles require a Highway Maintenance sign that must be applied to the rear of the vehicle.