When walking on the road outside the village at night or in poor visibility, people must wear reflective vests or tapes. The amendment to the Road Act, which imposes this obligation, has become effective on February 19th, but the police have begun fining for this offense only when the fall came.
Therefore, if a pedestrian without a reflective element is found to be less visible on the roadside at a place where there is no public lighting, he can get a block fine of up to 2000 crowns. Until recently, the police only consulted these pedestrians and gave them free-of-charge reflective tapes for roadside checks.
However, the education was not very effective. As the head of the Department of Transportation, Martin Farer, told the press conference on Tuesday, most pedestrians ignore this new duty or have poorly fitted reflective elements. “From October 1 to 24, 56 people died on the roads, three more than in the same period last year. Of that there were 13 killed pedestrians, “informed traffic police director Tomah Larch.
If the pedestrian is equipped with a reflective element in a reduced visibility, the distance to which the driver is able to distinguish, up to 200 meters, is increased. And it already gives enough time for the driver to respond in time, and the pedestrians safely avoided. The reason why the obligation to wear reflective elements was enacted is the fact that between 2012 and 2015, 523 pedestrians died on the domestic roads – 303 of them at night.
She purchases them without any problems
“People mistakenly think that reflective elements must only be in the dark. But it is not accurate, because it must be visible in the dark even at dawn or after sunset. In the mist, it is also appropriate to have a light source, such as an electric flashlight, “he said. Reflective elements can be purchased for example in stationery, sports stores, often in a supermarket, in a shop, at a post office or at a petrol station.
The price of reflective tapes is usually between thirty to forty crowns. They are even cheaper in internet e-shops, which offer them from 15 crowns and reflective vests for adults from 100 CZK. However, it is necessary to add a delivery amount that is often higher than the price of the reflective element itself. Pedestrians who fail to comply with the law are threatened not only by a fine.
“They should also remember that without reflexive elements they are at risk of having to pay for some of the medical or other costs incurred in connection with a traffic accident,” said Roman Bosky of the Road Safety Team.