Winter is not only for the driver but also for pedestrians, a much more challenging and dangerous period than the rest of the year. There is more darkness, pedestrians on the road are not visible, pavements and roads are often icy and slippery, which can cause accidents and unpleasant injuries.
“Pedestrians should not underestimate in particular the reflective vests that can in many cases prevent a serious traffic accident. Likewise, they must pay increased attention to road and pavement traffic, especially during the pre-Christmas hustle, “says Olga from TSK. So beware of the three major risks that winter brings with you.
In the dark, the driver does not see you.
Reflective materials are an important safety supplement not only for children. For all pedestrians outside the village, they are even obliged to move on the side or edge of the road in a place where there is no public lighting under reduced visibility. But wearing them will not spoil anything in the city. For the driver, the pedestrian in the glare of the wet road lights is very poorly visible and easily overlooked over the still stained glass.
Most suitable are reflective elements to mark the ends of the sleeves, the waist and the area between the ankles and knees. We should see from any angle. The range of reflective fabrics is really wide nowadays and can be made from reflective tapes, reflectors, reflective clothing, backpacks or stickers.
When traveling on the road, the pedestrian should definitely not rely only on the driver’s reaction. The braking distance of a car is prolonged in bad weather, so even if the pedestrian-driver notices in time, avoiding a tragic accident may no longer be in his power. As pedestrians, we should in our own interest, ensure safe movement through communication.
Let us recall two basic rules for crossing: a pedestrian is obliged to use a pedestrian crossing, subway or pedestrian whenever it is not more than 50 meters away, and in the case of a pedestrian crossing it must not enter the pedestrian crossing just before the arriving vehicle and at the same time does not take precedence over trams and vehicles driving with a lit blue beacon.
Where there is no possibility to walk along the pavement, they always go against the direction of the arriving vehicles and individually behind each other. However, this does not apply to an organized group of pedestrians who, according to traffic regulations, must move on the right side of the road.
Beware of your cell phone and headphones.
Many traffic accidents are caused by pedestrians being disturbed and not concentrating on events around them. Often they pay their attention to a cell phone or have headphones in their ears. This limits their two main senses to warn them of potential dangers – eyesight and hearing, and in short, thoughtlessly enters the road ahead of the passing vehicle.
Although we live in modern technology and listen to music, radio or watching social videos on a walk can shorten us for a long time, we should take care of our safety. Therefore, whenever we move on a road or at a crossing, but also on bicycle paths and other roads, it is important to pay full attention to traffic and not to use the mobile phone or the headphones.
How about advantage
Extremely cautious we should be pedestrians, especially pedestrians. The wet or snowy paint that is used on them is very slippery and the car behaves like it on ice.
“It is certainly not good to rely on the fact that the arriving car always stops safely and gives us the priority. In order to make sure that the incoming driver really registers, we should make eye contact with him, and then, after stopping completely, the road safely to go. It is also important to remember that pedestrian crossing has no priority over tram. It’s just the opposite, the tram always has priority, “says Olga.