Month: January 2018

Children in reflective vest join the police station activity

On Thursday (24.08) on the premises of the Pavia Police Headquarters in Katowice, the “Open Command Day” was organized, in which about 70 children took part in a half-camp, everyone of them received a reflective vest, organized by the Social Integration Association Victoria in Katowice.

 

The aim of this project was, as in previous years, to familiarize children with the specificity of the work of the police as well as to create opportunities for an interesting way of spending free time. During the meeting, the officers of the Juvenile and Pathological Team presented equipment that was on police equipment, such as clubs, shields, helmets and bulletproof safety vests.

 

The police officers presented the structure of the unit and the tasks of each division. The children had the opportunity to get to know different types of service uniforms, service levels, as well as the work of forensic technician who showed how the traces are secured at the scene.

 

In addition, officers in safety uniform conducted preventive talks with children on the principles of safe behavior in various situations, including while staying alone in the place of residence, contact with strangers and safety of water reservoirs and rivers as part of the action “I’m being safe … by the water.”

 

The obligation to wear reflective vests was passed

MEPs adopted a draft law that would impose new obligations on pedestrians. It is about ordering to wear safety vests after dark. Pedestrians who do not comply with the order will face a fine of up to PLN 3,000. zł.

 

According to data from the Central Police Headquarters, in 2012 there were 10.3 thousand accidents involving pedestrians. 1167 people died in them. Although the vast majority of such events take place at pedestrian crossings and intersections, a great danger is associated with the movement of pedestrians on roadsides in an undeveloped area. At night, it is virtually impossible to see a pedestrian on time, which is not wearing reflective elements. In 2012, there were 447 accidents, and 59 people died in them. There are many indications that soon there will be fewer such events. SLD deputies prepared a draft regulation that imposed the obligation to wear a reflective vest on pedestrians moving after dark outside the built-up area along roads where there is no sidewalk.

 

Why is it so important? Pedestrian, walking after dark without reflective elements, is visible from a distance of only 20-30 meters. If the driver travels at 90 km / h, he travels 25 meters in a second. It does not give you any chance of any reaction. However, if the pedestrian is equipped with a reflective element, the driver will notice it from a distance of 130-150 meters and will not have any problems avoiding it.

 

SLD deputies wanted the new law to promote safe behavior instead of becoming a whip on pedestrians, which is why they did not foresee penalties for ignoring the requirement to wear reflective vests. Paradoxically, however, it can turn against a pedestrian. As Gazette informs, the police intend to enforce the provisions on general principles, and pursuant to art 79 of the Code of Misdemeanors, a traffic participant who breaks the other provisions of the Highway Code or issued based on it, may be fined up to PLN 3,000. Of course, it is impossible to suspect that this will be a standard punishment for ignoring the requirement to wear a vest, but its amount will be discretionary and it will depend on the decision of the police officer how much we will receive.

 

It is also worth looking at the issue of adjudging blame for road accidents involving pedestrians. If the obligation to wear a reflective vest has been passed, the guilt or co-payment for the accident may be charged to a pedestrian who will ignore the order and be struck. However, if the deduction comes to the side of the illuminated road, the lack of flares will not matter to the police. The insurer to reduce the value of the compensation paid to the deducted pedestrian, however, can use this circumstance.

Reflective bands or what can be useful for running at night

When you are riding a bicycle or running at night, take care of your own safety. Visibility on the road will be provided by clothing with reflectors or special stickers, reflective tapes or wristbands. The obligation to illuminate the bicycle results from the rules of the Highway Code.

 

Bands, ribbons, stickers or reflective vests can be bought in hypermarkets, bicycle, automotive and sports shops, via the Internet or even at petrol stations. Single reflections cost about 2-6 zlotys. A reflective vest costs about 10 zlotys.

 

Running in the dark – clothes, tapes, reflective bands

A smaller crowd in the streets or lack of time to train during the day, there are some of the reasons for running at night. Deciding to be active after dark, you need to take care of your own safety. Visibility on the road will provide glare. Useful accessories for runners include, for example, reflective wristbands or self-adhesive tapes that can be applied to clothing. When buying sportswear (pants, jackets, blouses, sweatshirts), it is worth choosing models that already have reflective material on them. Stickers reflecting light on your legs or arms will make the runner visible to the car driver from a distance of 200 meters.

 

Running at night through the woods – a running torch

The headlamp will be useful during night training on uneven and completely unlit terrain, eg in the forest. The lamp is mounted on the head, you do not need to hold it in your hands while running, it s light falls exactly in front of the runner. It is good to stock up on spare batteries. It is best to go for training in a group, and if it is impossible, run only on paths that you met during the day. It is also worth mentioning to the family or roommates where to go and have GPS enabled in the phone. It is best to run in the forest when it is dry. Turning over on slippery mud or leaves may result in injury.

 

Bicycle lighting – recipes

The most important element of bicycle equipment at night is lighting. A cyclist who uses the road is obliged to comply with road rules. According to the Highway Code, a bicycle should be equipped with at least one position light at the front (white or selective yellow). At the rear, the vehicle must have a position lamp and a reflector lamp in a shape other than a triangle. Both rear bicycle lights should be red. To be more visible on the road at night, the cyclist can also put on a headlamp. You just need to remember that it cannot be mounted lower than 25 centimeters and more than 1.5 meters from the road surface.

 

Does the cyclist have to wear a vest?

In the light of road traffic law, a reflective vest is not mandatory during cycling. However, the cyclist should have reflective details on the clothing or helmet, eg stickers, tapes, bands. Light-reflective stickers can be additionally wrapped, for example, with pedals or bicycle wheels.

 

Riding a bicycle without lights – a ticket

A ride on a motorbike without lights may result in a fine. For riding a bike after dark or in tunnels without proper lighting of the vehicle, the police officer may issue a fine of PLN 100.

 

The action to improve the safety of cyclists

Last weekend, 1-2 July 2017, a picnic for cyclists was held to raise awareness among cyclists and car drivers. The whole action is under the patronage of the Ministry of Interior and Administration. Everyone will receive a safety vest.

 

Family picnic with a town of attractions for spectators and cyclists was part of the weekend event organized by the Police Headquarters. The event was supposed to pay attention to the safety level of cyclists. The statistics in which you were wounded or killed are terrifying.

 

According to the data on the KGP website from January to May 2017, fans of two wheels participated in 2628 accidents and collisions. As a result, 138 cyclists died and 2,379 were injured, most of them are not wearing the reflective clothing. According to the Chief Police Headquarters, collisions involving cyclists occur most often during improper maneuvering.

 

The cyclists themselves are also not guilty. Their negligible knowledge of traffic regulations can lead to extremely dangerous situations. Like the one in Gliwice, when the cyclist collided with a passenger car. It turned out that the lover of the two wheels ignored the road signs and drove down the street, right under the wheels of an oncoming car.

 

Sedro during the weekend picnic also encouraged cyclists to use reflective vests significantly increasing their visibility on the road and helmets. This last element, with possible collision with vehicles, can save the head from serious injuries.

 

Check the lights in the car for free

As part of the nationwide campaign, “Your lights – your safety,” drivers from Czestochowa could check for free the correctness of the lighting settings in their cars. Uniforms explained to the participants of the action how important it is in the autumn-winter period to have good visibility on the road. The police officers also handed out reflective vests and bands, which will certainly help to improve the safety of unprotected road users.

 

The impact on road safety depends largely on the drivers themselves. From the skills and experience of the person who will sit behind the wheel and its psychophysical state. Road safety is also influenced by the technical condition of vehicles.

 

Many drivers remember that you need to wipe the headlamps when they are dirty or replace the bulbs if they are burned out. Few remember, however, that you also need to set the lights at the right angle. In the autumn / winter period, the wrong setting of lights often causes the illumination of other lights, or it is too late to notice a pedestrian or an obstacle on the road.

 

As part of the nationwide campaign, “Your lights – your safety,” drivers in safety vest from Czestochowa could make a free review of the correct setting of car lights last Saturday.

Bicyclists received fines and reflective news from police

The Road Police has organized a new ample action to control cyclists traveling on public roads, while police officers from the Prevention Department have also put in place a preventive action, in which reflective vests have been divided.

 

The action took place at the end of last week, between September 1-3. Specialist prevention specialists distributed over 60 reflective safety vests and told cyclists about the minimum measures they had to take to avoid casualties in accidents. As regards the action of traffic police officers, 192 fines were imposed, amounting to over 60,000 lei, some of them by bicyclists. Such actions are organized periodically due to the high number of accidents involving cyclists. Police statistics show that since the beginning of this year, 24 serious road accidents have occurred in Suave County with the involvement of cyclists, in 17 of them blame being exclusive of bicycle drivers.

 

Unfortunately, four people died because of these accidents, although there was a two-fold decrease in deceased persons over the same period last year. For whom he still does not know, the fines provided by bicycle legislation are particularly high. The minimum sanction is 6 points of fine, 870 lei respectively. So keep safety with reflective elements on road is very importance.