Roadside assistance applications with red flashing lights open

Breakdown assistance and towing companies can now apply for permission to use red flashing lights on their vehicles.

Flashing red lights were first mentioned in the Department for Transport's (DfT) 30-point plan for motorists, published by the last government in October 2023.

The Professional Recovery Operators Safety Executive (Prose) said there had been important discussions and meetings with the DfT in recent months.

In addition, the company works with industry partners to ensure that the appropriate training required has been developed.

Following the development of the required training, the application for all breakdown, roadside collection and tyre industry operators to apply for a Vehicle Safety Order (VSO) is now live.

A VSO allows operators or technicians to use red flashing lights on their vehicles.

Dom Shorrocks, RAC Chief Operations Officer, said: “This is a milestone for the breakdown assistance industry as the ability to use flashing red lights will significantly improve the visibility of road workers and help save lives.”

“There have been too many tragic fatal collisions involving tow trucks parked on the side of highways where more conspicuous red lights could have made a difference.

“We have therefore long been demanding that breakdown assistance and tow truck drivers – including our own – be allowed to use red flashing lights in addition to the usual yellow flashing lights.”

The VSO link can be found on the new Prose website. It is located on the home page and applications are processed by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) provided the online red light training has been completed, known as VR34 Use of Warning Lights and Beacons, which is also accessible on the Prose website.

Prose anticipates that there will be significant interest and demand for the issue of a VSO and therefore asks operators to be patient and to refrain from contacting the DfT or VCA directly as this will prevent them from processing VSOs.