Better safe than trendy, say just the French. Immediately all cyclists in France must wear a yellow reflective vest. It advertises none other than designer Karl Lagerfeld for lightweight camisole.
The autumn mist still hangs over the streets, when Nicolas Besancon winds on the bike through the morning traffic jam to the Paris office district of La Defense. Links from the Autoschlange preschen motorcycles over, right gymnastics students from the bus stops at the roadside. Besancon uses every free centimeters around voranzumogeln, a breathtaking spectacle. “I’m used to it,” he says, at a red light waiting. Fearing for his life he did not. And a safety vest over his trench coat, then he could do without in the future. But Cannot he, because in France shall apply from 1 October, a camisole compulsory for cyclists. Outside built-up areas and in poor visibility all cyclists must wear the vests in neon yellow, or face a fine of 35 euros. Transport Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has decided the measure. “The goal is to save lives,” he explains.
The scheme is part of a larger, now enshrined in the French Highway Code security package. It also prescribes that all drivers to have next to the warning triangle, a safety vest at hand. In particular, the regulations for cyclists are controversial or criticized as half-hearted. For cities where happens a lot of the accidents, remain the exception. Also to wear a helmet, according to experts, the best protection against serious injury, the government could not bring.
A helmet law is not provided
250 cyclists every year on the streets of France to death, 8,000 injury accidents are registered. To reduce using the vests the numbers and tackle the problem of acceptance, Borloo has hired a prominent recruiters: fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld posed on billboards, in evening dress, with a black bow tie, sunglasses and neon yellow safety vest. “It’s yellow, it’s ugly, and it matches nothing. But it can save your life,” was the slogan.
So far contributed only two percent of the French regularly the little dress-like bodice. In the last days before the introduction of compulsory safety vests which are, however, gone like hotcakes in the supermarket at the discounted price of EUR 6.50. Many camps were cleaned out. In Paris, the insurance group MMA distributed free hundreds of copies and called the cyclist on, even in the cities to increase their visibility.
The camisole compulsion is introduced in 14 other European countries. In Germany a duty to the accessory will however not come so quickly. Experts are the French model extremely critical. “To create night vests will not solve the real problem. Most accidents occur in the rush hour on the way to work and because the visibility is usually good,” says the bicycle commissioner of the Berlin Senate, Benno Koch. He cannot stand too much from the French concept, since it “the question of guilt” move: “The main problem vehicles which overlooked the cyclist when turning right.” In such accidents, the most deaths were to be deplored.
The state chairman of the General German Bicycle Club Berlin, Sarah Stark, maintains a high visibility vest with reflective tape compulsory on German roads superfluous. Bright clothes carry with for better visibility of cyclists. “One should cyclists but do not patronize. You know that they have not yet crumple zone airbag.” As the ADFC also holds the French Cycling Federation FUBicy duty counterproductive. The bike will thus less attractive, more people would again change the car or on the bike, he fears. The bike is in France the most dangerous by far Transportation, the number of victims are umpteen times higher than among cyclists. The safety vest requirement applies only to bicycles without motor.