Chevrons are used on vehicles to increase their visibility, especially when the weather is bad or there is not much light. It is a legal requirement for certain vehicles to display these on the back of the vehicle to ensure that they can be seen when using public roads. You can get chevron kits from specialist suppliers like Vehicle Chevrons.
Vehicle chevrons are reflective red and yellow stripes that are placed in a way that form a V shape. You can find out about the exact guidelines in Chapter 8 of the traffic signs manual (which is why they are often referred to as Chapter 8 chevrons).
There are various types of vehicles which are legally required to have these chevrons on them. These include vehicles that may need to stop on a high-speed road – this includes emergency services vehicles that could be attending an accident, or vehicles that are being used for repairs to the road.
They are also required to be on vehicles that are used for motorway management, such as police vehicles and traffic control vehicles.
It is also required that vehicles that travel at a slower than usual speed have these markings on them, for example this could be vehicles carrying an abnormal load, or bin collection lorries.
The reason that these markings are needed on a wide range of vehicles is to ensure that anyone driving on the road is aware that the vehicle may not behave in the usual manner on a motorway. For example, if you were driving at night and saw the reflective chevrons it would give you time to decrease your speed if a vehicle was travelling slowly, or to move into another lane to allow a vehicle through that is attending an emergency.
These markings also help to protect people who are working on the roads. This can be particularly dangerous at night, as of course you are not able to see as much in front of you, so vehicles that are marked with these reflective chevrons also help to reduce accidents involving people who work on the roads and to help protect them when they are working at night.
