On the occasion of the switch to winter time this weekend, the Delegation for Road Safety and Traffic (DSCR) alerts the road users about the increase in accidents during this period. Especially the people without wearing safety vest. What are the reasons? Are there good reflexes to adopt?
This weekend, it will be necessary to reverse the clocks of one hour. But the transition to winter time does not only have consequences on your sleep (with … an hour more on this occasion). According to the Delegation for Road Safety and Traffic (DSCR), there is a peak of accident every year during this period. “Over the past five years, the winter months have been the most dangerous for pedestrians,” says the DSCR.
“The peak hours of morning and evening, 7h-10h and 17h-19h, are the most accident in winter,” says the DSCR. Faced with these risks, Road Safety therefore calls on road users to be very careful.
The reasons
There are two main reasons for this. Initially, the period of darkness increases at peak hours. The lighting of vehicles and street lights is not powerful enough to allow motorists to distinguish pedestrians without reflective vest. “The one-hour retreat has an important effect on the hours of illumination: night falls earlier in the day, when classes leave or professional end-of-day trips,” the DSCR analyzes.
Secondly, cyclists do not always think of checking the equipment of their bicycle. Not necessarily using their retro-reflectors or headlights during the summer, they are often damaged or even absent when pacing roads during winter time.
Advice
To cope with the increased mortality on roads at this time of year, the DSCR gives some guidance to road users.
For cyclists, it is recommended to “check its lighting, wear a retro-reflective jacket and not ride on sidewalks”. On the pedestrian side, it is advisable to “check several times before crossing, walking on the sidewalks and crossing at pedestrian crossings”. Finally, drivers and drivers of motorized two-wheelers must “adapt their speed, deviate by at least one meter from the sidewalks and keep the headlights on day and night.”