Transport for London (TfL) has selected Euro Parking Collection (EPC), a subsidiary of Verra Mobility, for its Direct Vision Standard (DVS) programme.

EPC will manage penalties imposed on foreign heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) under the DVS scheme.

The contract will be in place until June 2025.

EPC offers a wide range of services across Europe, including vehicle country identification, owner tracing, notification processing, outstanding debt collection, customer service and general programme administration.

Verra Mobility Europe senior vice-president and general manager Tsjerk-Friso Roelfzema said: “With road safety at the core of our Company’s mission, we are extremely proud to partner with TfL for this noble and visionary scheme that saves lives and promotes a safer London experience.

“With our proven solutions deployed across Europe and years of experience in efficiently collecting penalties from foreign vehicle operators, Verra Mobility is uniquely positioned to help ensure that the DVS penalties will be properly collected.”

The DVS programme has been in force on all London roads since March, having been announced by TfL last October.

The lorry safety scheme measures drivers’ direct fields of vision from their cabs, with vehicles rated from zero to five stars based on how much the driver can see.

With the introduction of DVS, it is now mandatory for all HGVs weighing more than 12t to have a valid permit before they can operate in greater London.

According to TfL’s latest data, HGVs continue to be excessively involved in fatal collisions.

TfL said that in 2018 and last year, HGVs were involved in 41% of collisions that killed cyclists and 19% of collisions that killed pedestrians.

Through the DVS initiative, TfL aims to protect motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users through a set of standards to cut down dangerous blind spots for HGVs.