Every pedestrian, moving around the dusk along the way outside the built-up area, is obliged to use reflective material – such a provision is included in the amended Act on Road Traffic, which entered into force on Sunday.
Until now, only children under the age of 15 had the obligation to wear reflections. Now it has been extended to all pedestrians who will move around the dusk outside the built-up area. The pedestrian will be able to move without reflective elements at dusk only on the road intended exclusively for him or on the sidewalk or in the residential area, where the pedestrian takes precedence over the vehicle.
From Sunday, persons who do not comply with the new regulations may face a fine of 20 to 500 zlotys. Baronies, president of the Partnership for Road Safety stressed that this is a very important amendment. It is good that for the first time such a change appeared in the law, because shaping awareness is one thing, and the legal requirement is second and good if the legal requirement coincides with that awareness – he said.
He remarked, however, that a lot of work was still needed to make society aware of the importance of the problem. It is not just about fulfilling the duty and wearing any kind of reflection, just to wear something that is actually visible, that is, a sufficiently large, appropriately good quality material – he added.
The police officers, who are hardly visible to the driver, point out that the pedestrian, who moves on a dark road without reflections, is practically invisible. The driver is able to notice such a person only from a distance of 20-30 meters. However, if the pedestrian has reflective tapes, the driver can already see it from over 150 m.