A: The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations state that height markers are required for vehicles with a travelling height over 3m. As part of the regulation, it also stipulates that ‘no other letters or numbers which could be understood as being an indication of any height associated with the vehicle or any trailer drawn by it are displayed in the notice.’
If these markings could be misinterpreted by the driver as being the height of the vehicle instead of the width, then this would contravene the regulations.
There may be a cause to review any planning systems or navigation systems issued to drivers to ensure that the correct route is taken, and that it is appropriate for the size of vehicle being driven.
Stars of CCTV
Q: We have fitted CCTV cameras around our vehicle to monitor the operatives safety as they often have to stop on the side of the road to perform their duties. It has been queried whether there should be signage to advise that there are cameras on the vehicle and how big they should be. What are the rules on this?
A: It is important to understand the legal requirements when collecting, storing or processing data gathered by these devices. Data collected by the organisation from company vehicles comes into scope of the Data Protection Act 2018, which is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guidance states that operators must let people know when they are in an area where a surveillance system is in operation. The most effective way to do this is by using prominently placed signs, particularly when surveillance systems are discreet, or in locations people might not expect to be under surveillance. Signs do not need to say who is operating the system if this is obvious, but should:
- Be clearly visible and legible.
- Contain details of the organisation operating the system and the purpose for using the surveillance system.
- Include basic contact details of the operator.
- Be an appropriate size, depending on context such as whether they are viewed by pedestrians or drivers.
Under the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018, individuals and organisations that process personal data need to pay a data protection fee to the ICO, unless they are exempt. The ICO have a series of questions online to help determine whether you need to register, although generally if you use dashcams in work vehicles, you will likely need to register and pay the data protection fee to the ICO. More information can be found here.
