Protective equipment is not always required, but it is good to wear it because the cyclist is more visible to others in traffic. Everything can also be purchased at shopping malls.
I often cycle and wonder if I should wear a cycling safety vest. When should I have it and do I have to wear it when I drive through the Maksimir forest, the reader asked us.
“A bicycle driver who rides a pavement must have a reflective vest sew on reflective tape, reflective cycling attire or another reflective mark at night and, if the visibility is low,” the Ministry of Interior replied. This means that the reader driving through the Maksimir Forest is not obliged to have it, but it is still better to be visible in traffic.
According to the Road Traffic Safety Act, a bicycle rider who does not wear a reflective vest with reflective material or other reflective mark is in violation and is fined HRK 300. The same penalty applies to those cyclists who do not have lights.
“At night, from the first dusk until full sunrise, and in the daytime, if visibility is low, the bike must have a white light on the front and red on the back,” says Article 101 of the Traffic Safety Act.
The Ministry of Interior replied that the technical requirements for vehicles involved in road traffic, as well as for bicycles, were laid down in the provisions of the Ordinance on the Technical Conditions of Road Vehicles.
“The bicycle must be equipped with a road light and position light, or rear light. It must also have ‘cat eyes’, cat adopters, red on the back of the bike and yellow on the pedals, reflective elements on the wheels and bells,” says Article 166 of the Regulations.
It also states that the headlamp must be adjusted to illuminate the road for at least 10 meters and at most 50. A poorly placed headlamp, especially if it is a strong LED lamp, can be a problem for anyone who comes across it. Namely, if the careless rider did not point the lamp slightly downwards but straight ahead, he would blind the cyclist coming to meet him on the cycle path.
Cyclist under 16 must wear a helmet when driving on the road. Children under the age of eight must also wear a helmet if older people ride them on a bicycle in the seat.