Reflective vest are essential for safety-whatever you are pedestrian, cyclist or motorist. Archive picture from a serious car accident at the City Hall Square in Copenhagen in 2010, when car hit random pedestrians.
With the transition to winter time is one hour earlier dark. And in the next weeks and months will be earlier and earlier dark. Therefore, here are three tips on how to ride safely in traffic when it is dark.
- Use reflectors
Are you the pedestrian, wear reflective clothing? Without reflex watching the drivers you are not on a dark road. As a pedestrian on a dark road has typically experience of being fully informed of the passing cars. But it does not mean that one is visible to the driver.
- Use high beams whenever possible without dazzling
With the high beam you see curves, turns and people or objects on the road much earlier than if you drive with daytime running lights. So use the high beam whenever you can without dazzling other drivers.
- Run the following conditions
In the dark you can in many places be obliged to reduce speed to below the speed limit, if you want to run securely and could reach to orient yourself properly. This applies to the narrow and winding roads or in bad weather. Although roads can seem deserted at night, so there is good reason to be vigilant – that may suddenly appear a pedestrian or another motorist up.
Source: The Road Accidents Investigation.
Further advice from the Road Safety Council: Reflexes, if you go: Reflective Brik (m. Cord): It should hang so that it is visible from all angles. Road Safety Council recommends that it hangs low – at the edge of the jacket – so it hangs freely, so the cars are easier to see it in terms of both height and movement.
If there are quite dark, recommend Road Safety Council to have a reflective piece hanging both front and rear.
Ideal to hang a reflective piece fixed to the child’s schoolbag, as the better fit and therefore last longer. It would also be appropriate to hang refleksbrikken fixed to the jacket pocket, so the child can snuggle reflex in your pocket when no longer outside.
If you walk in the dark on a road without sidewalks, recommend Road Safety Council to have a reflective vest, and then recommend the course to a pedestrian walking on the left side of the road – against the traffic.
Reflective Tape: If you do not have reflective tape on both arms and legs, recommend Road Safety Council that spans reflective tape stuck to the legs, where a motorist can very quickly spot them due to constant movement.
Reflexes, riding a bicycle: First, you must first and foremost comply with the rules applicable to the bicycle lamps. The rules require, among other things, that you must have lights that can be seen from 300 feet away. Police defined rules: – Headlights and taillights should be prominently displayed at least 300 meters and will also be visible from the side. – Headlights and rear lights must be mounted so the lights respectively straight forward and straight back – they must therefore not hang and light into the ground.
– Powerful headlamps designed to illuminate the road in front of the rider must be mounted with the light slanting downward and does not dazzle oncoming.
– New battery bicycle lights sold in Denmark should be bright enough to meet the statutory requirements for visibility at least 5 hours. The lamp or sales packaging must be marked “Operating time / Runtime” and an indication of how many hours; the battery can meet the requirement. This must also be stated in marketing material such as advertisements, brochures, online, etc.
Compared to reflectors recommend Road Safety Council that you use reflective tape on both legs when cycling.
If it rains, they recommend that you have a reflective safety vest on.
Additionally recommend Road Safety Council that dogs should have a reflective collar on.