reflective material Archives

Mandatory wearing of reflective elements?

Two hundred and a half thousand crowns may become more expensive for pedestrians in the evening on the road. If they do not have reflective elements outside the village in poor visibility, they risk a fine. The amendment seeks to reduce the number of people with cars.

Reflective clothing, belts, and bags were distributed yesterday by police officers in several places in Brno. Pedestrians and cyclists have been instructed to change the law to protect pedestrians on the road. Police will continue in preventive actions throughout the region. lupa-plus click to enlarge.

The police will focus on prevention rather than penalizing pedestrians in the first weeks of the amendment to the Road Traffic Act. “We are planning dozens of events in the region where we want to inform pedestrians about a new duty and give them items in a reflective design,” said police spokesman Pavel Svab.

The first reflective tapes, bags, and vests were distributed by police in Brno on Thursday. They stopped and informed about thirty people. “Few of them knew about the change of the law,” Swab noted. At the same time, he recommended wearing well-visible clothing accessories not only outside the towns but also in them.

Also in schools

The police action was also appreciated by Dagmar Šebelová, who received a reflective tape. “When a man in black goes on gray asphalt, he is hardly visible in the evening,” she said.

Not only police officers but also schools distribute information about the amendment in South Moravia. For example, in elementary school in Židlochovice in Brno, teachers are explaining new duties to pupils these days. “Many parents have not registered the change of the law at all,” said the director Jana Králová. She added that they had acquired visible elements for school events that would lend to pupils.

that changes the amendment to the pedestrian law

Pedestrians must wear reflective elements outside the village when walking on the shoulder or roadside in poor visibility

If they fail to comply with the law, they face a fine of up to two thousand crowns on the spot or a fine of fifteen hundred to two and a half thousand crowns in administrative proceedings

A pedestrian does not need to wear a reflective vest, it is enough to use accessories such as straps on the arm or reflective strips on clothes

The amendment to the Road Traffic Act came into effect on Saturday

The amendment requires pedestrians to use reflective elements when walking on the shoulder or the edge of a road outside the village. According to Besip, the visibility of the reflective material at night is two hundred meters, while a man wearing a blue suit is seen at approximately one-tenth of the distance. At a speed of ninety kilometers per hour, the braking distance of the car is about forty meters. “We welcome the fact that wearing reflective elements has become an obligation,” said Besip regional coordinator Pavel Cizek.

However, he said the amendment to the law is untouched. When a car collides with a pedestrian without reflective elements, it is the driver who is to blame for not adapting the speed to the road conditions. The insufficiently visible person at risk of a collision risks only a fine. “In practice, this means that I can never drive on the 90s on the county roads at night because I have to count on someone unlit on them,” Cizek said.

Tighter neighbors

An even stricter law has been in force in Slovakia since 2014. Pedestrians must wear reflective elements on the road regardless of whether they are in or outside the village. “In the beginning, people complained, but now they have no problem with it,” said Cizek.

Efforts to make pedestrians safer have so far been felt by some merchants. “Reflective elements are sold about twice as much as before,” said Yveta Eiselt, a shop assistant from the Brno workwear shop.

On the contrary, Miroslav Šalanda from the haberdashery of Znojmo did not know any change. “The sale has not gone up so far. More interest will always start in the autumn when the days are shorter,” said Šalanda.

Last year, police in the South Moravian Region recorded four hundred and thirteen pedestrian-car crashes. “Two hundred and twenty-eight of these happened in Brno,” Swab said.

Over forty percent of pedestrian-car collisions took place at pedestrian crossings. Collisions of cars with pedestrians are increasing every year.

The pedestrians were not visible and went red

An invisible pedestrian who turns red. Last week, the police focused on pedestrian safety and, as part of the inspection action, issued fines in addition to reflective elements. They eventually earned a total of 34 people.

“For example, these pedestrians entered the pedestrian crossing in front of police officers at a time when the red traffic light was on at the traffic light. Some of them tried to avoid the traffic light with red light and tried to change the road in its immediate vicinity,” said regional police spokeswoman Dagmar Sochorová, who also pointed to the dangerous phenomenon of pedestrians without elements of retro-reflective material moving in the dark or twilight. on the road between the villages.

“During the whole event, the patrols of the traffic and riot police tried to prevent pedestrians. They were alerted to the fact that they were among the most vulnerable participants in the operation,” said Sochorová. Police also reminded pedestrians of the existence of a law requiring pedestrians outside the village to have the above-mentioned reflective elements in poor visibility.

During the whole last week, police officers also checked the drivers of motor vehicles. “They checked a total of 430 and found 75 traffic offenses. The positive fact, however, is that they have not found any breath in the breath of any driver,” Sochorová pointed out. The most penalties were for not using the belt and the technical condition of the car.

Did you know that the reflexes also go out of date?

Autumn means that it is dark in the early morning and evening. Also, there can be extra demanding driving conditions, with rain and wet roads that almost extinguish all light.

Under such conditions, it is of utmost importance that all pedestrians use reflexes.

Statistics from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration show that a third of pedestrian accidents occur in the dark. In the period 2005 to 2014, 40 percent of traffic accidents involving pedestrians occurred in the dark.

During the same period, statistics show that half of the pedestrians who died in road accidents did not use reflective vests.

It’s not just food that has the best before date. Reflections are also fresh and should be replaced more often than many people think. Bad reflexes can be dangerous to traffic, Tryg Forsikring believes.

“This is because you behave differently when you think you are protected from reflex. According to the road authorities, reflex has a life span of over three years. Reflections on children often get harsh momentum through play. And if you, as an adult, have the reflex in your pocket along with car keys, there is often so much scratching in the reflex that the effect deteriorates considerably. At our home we exchange reflexes every fall,” says Espen Opedal, manager of Tryg Forsikring.

Thursday, October 17 is National Reflection Day this year. The use of reflex reduces the risk of being hit in the dark by 85 percent. Even if you see the car, it is difficult for the motorist to see you if you are walking in the dark without reflex. The little lifeguard is cheap life insurance.

“If you walk along the road in the dark without reflex, you are first visible to the motorist at a distance of 25 meters. With reflex, you will be seen at 140 meters distance, with a dipped beam. A driver at 50 km / h thus has ten seconds instead of two seconds to respond. It can be the difference between life and death. Therefore, you should spend 15 seconds wearing one or more reflexes before going out in the dark,” says Opal, in a press release.

How do you check if the old reflex still works properly?

“All worn reflectors have a reduced effect, including integrated reflections in children’s and exercise clothes, which are often subject to wear through rough use, and which are washed frequently. To check if the reflex is still good, test in a dark room. Light the reflex with a flashlight and compare it with a new reflex. Those who reflect light poorly should be replaced,” says Opal.

Most accidents happen in cities when people cross the street. Lights from cars and shop windows compete for attention and make it difficult to see pedestrians without reflective materials.

Many people think that reflective tapes are not necessary when walking in areas with street lights. That’s wrong. When it is dark outside, it is difficult for the motorist to see you, even in street lighting. If it also rains, it is even harder to see you along the way.

Surveys conducted by Trygg Trafikk show that only 4 out of 10 adults use reflex. The worst adults are over 30 years of age. The best are children.

At night, on an empty road, traffic police wave me. And if you do not slow down?

An unlit night track with rare foci of civilization does not cause any desire to once again slow down and even more so get out of the car. There is no choice when the law requires it.

If I caught up with a DPS car, is it worth it to overtake?

The main document for the driver is SDA. Clause 6.11 establishes that “the request to stop the vehicle is made using a loud-speaking device or with a gesture of a hand aimed at the vehicle,” and the driver must stop at the place indicated to him.” There are no restrictions on the type of road and time of day. It is understood that the patrol works to ensure traffic safety, and if it stops in case of doubtful circumstances for the driver, there is a good reason.

Clause 1.2 of the SDA describes what the traffic controller should look like when serving. The presence of uniforms and/or a distinctive sign and equipment is mandatory. Regulators include police and military vehicle inspectors, road maintenance workers, duty officers at railway crossings and ferry crossings in the exercise of their duties, authorized persons from among the employees of transport security units.

As you can see, the list is quite extensive, and some of them have all the “distinctive” features except a reflective vest. Of course, you need to act on the situation. If a road worker is persistently waving at you, and behind him, you can see an ice rink standing across the road, it is worth fulfilling his requirements. But if a dubious person waves a rod on an empty road, standing near an ordinary car, this is a completely different matter.

You can look at the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 664, in other words – the rules of the traffic police. Paragraph 62 reports that “the place, time, forms and methods of monitoring traffic by employees are determined by the head of the traffic police unit”. Paragraph 65 already explicitly states that work at night is by no means forbidden: “In the dark and conditions of limited visibility, an employee must have a luminous wand (wand with retro-reflective material elements) and retro-reflective equipment.”

Verification is inevitable: which cars are most often stopped by traffic cops

Clause 84 of the same regulation lists 14 reasons for stopping a vehicle. Again, without reservation at the place and time of day. If “there is reason to believe,” a traffic inspector can stop you anywhere. It is stipulated that the stopping place should be selected taking into account the requirements of traffic rules. But it is possible to brake cars in forbidden places if traffic safety is ensured (for example, by the flashing lights of an official car).

If you still found the traffic cops to be potentially dangerous and ignored their demands, they can only pursue you on a patrol car with a special light and sound signals turned on (paragraph 96 of the regulations). You can watch in a personal car, but you can’t chase it.

The good old recommendation to go to the nearest stationary post is now completely useless due to the almost complete absence of these same posts. Faster and more logical in this case, turn into the nearest settlement with the police department.

Finally, we recall that under article 12.25.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, failure to comply with the lawful requirement of a police officer to stop is punishable by a fine of 500-800 rubles.

The new line of reflective clothing makes pedestrians “light up like a Christmas tree”

November tends to be the most dangerous month of the year for pedestrians.

Daylight savings time has just ended and drivers are still adjusting to darker conditions at rush hour. Last year there were 37 pedestrian collisions (fatal and injury) in Edmonton during November, more than twice July’s total.

Irene Dixon, the creator of Reflective Advantage — a reflective garments line that launched this week — wants to prevent future collisions by making pedestrians more visible.

“You can’t prevent every accident, but you can give yourself an advantage,” she said.

A few years ago, Dixon was startled several times while out walking her two West Highland terriers on the roads by her home near Stony Plain. She would jump into ditches and pull the dogs down with her to get out of the way of speeding cars. She also had a few close calls behind the wheel, failing to spot pedestrians, some clad in black clothing, from far away.

As a nurse working in intensive care and neurology units, she saw the broken bones, burns and head injuries coming from car crashes and how the trauma of those accidents affected patients and their families.

Searching for solutions, she found only bulky safety apparel and expensive athletic gear with tiny reflective logos on the chest. She bought a reflective vest but didn’t like the fit or feel, so she started sewing more stylish options herself. First, she made dog coats with bright, high-visibility fabric for her Westies, Piper and McDuff. Drivers slowed down, even started smiling and waving at her and the dogs, so she made more items — walking vests with pockets and scarves with reflective stripes and stars.

“When you wear this, you light up like a Christmas tree,” Dixon said, twirling a commuter scarf around her neck. The $ 20 scarves have reflective material sewn and stuck to both sides and they come in different colors and styles.

Advertising campaigns asking pedestrians to take responsibility for being seen have drawn criticism in recent years. Last year, the City of Edmonton abandoned a proposed billboard ad that would have encouraged people to wear more reflective clothing. City spokesperson Gary Dyck told the Journal the ad was nixed after it received poor feedback from a panel of citizens who comment on city policies. A provincial traffic safety campaign reminding pedestrians to lock eyes with drivers before walking also drew criticism this fall.

Dixon, well aware of these debates, said she’s not out to blame pedestrians or remove the responsibility of drivers. She knows the city has adopted “Vision Zero,” a goal to eliminate all deaths and major injuries caused by car collisions, and is adding more pedestrian signals, improving left-turn signal timing and installing more driver feedback signs in high collision areas.

“All of those things take a lot of time and a lot of money,” she said.

“In the meantime, I want to allow myself and my friends to somehow protect ourselves.”

If you are going on holiday by car, you need to know the rules

Croatia, the most popular destination of Slovaks, directs daylight. Reflective vest, warning triangle, first aid kit, and even fire extinguisher are not missing.

Holiday destinations this year Slovaks also choose in terms of security. According to Invia statistics, the first places of interest are European countries that can be reached by car, namely Greece, Italy, and Croatia. Before traveling, drivers need to study the traffic rules not only in their destination but also in the countries they pass through.

In Austria and Slovenia, as the most common transit countries, 0.5 per mile of blood alcohol is tolerated. In Austria, unlike Slovenia, it is not necessary to light all day. Reflective waistcoat with reflective material, warning triangle, and first aid kit must be available to drivers. They must also present a green card in Slovenia. Children must be obliged to travel in child safety seats.

Croatia, the most popular destination of Slovaks, directs daylight. Reflective vest with reflective tape, warning triangle, first aid kit, and even fire extinguisher are not missing. “Children under 12 must not sit in the front seats. If they are traveling in the rear, they must have a suitable car seat or cushion designed for their age and weight category,” explains Lukas Fiala from Britax Romer.

Year-round lighting is mandatory outside the village and in Italy. “In Italy, there is also a new ban on smoking in a car carrying children under the age of 12 or pregnant women under a fine of between EUR 500 and EUR 5 000. The use of child seats is mandatory without exception,” adds Fiala. The first-aid kit is not mandatory in Italy, but due to its safety and the obligation to have a first-aid kit in the neighboring countries, experts recommend it here.

The maximum speed limit in Slovakia – Croatia / Italy states is 50 km / h in the municipality and 130 km / h on the motorway. A small amount of alcohol in the blood is also tolerated. However, experts do not recommend alcohol at all on long journeys.

Not seeing? You play with life

In 2009, 37 pedestrians died at night, some of them also because they were not visible. Prague children learn to wear reflective elements.

Maybe not much was missing, and Jan Vasa, ten, could also be the victim of the accident. As he recalls, more than a year ago, he almost hit a vehicle.

“Fortunately, nothing happened in the end,” says the boy from Újezd nad Lesy, who won the photographic competition We Want to Be Seen on Friday.

The task was to promote the use of reflective tapes on clothing. In 2009 alone, 127 people were killed in the Czech Republic in poor visibility, 480 were seriously injured and 3537 were slightly injured.

Parts of them may not have happened if these people were visible. In Prague, for example, all first-graders get reflective vests – and so do

they are a common standard in kindergartens. But with increasing age, the use of reflective elements is rapidly decreasing.

Anyone can have a small supplement

“Today it is fashionable to walk a lot in black, gray and other colors that are not very visible. Yet it can ‘be seen’ to save lives in confusing places. Some small accessory will not hurt anyone,” said Jarmila Johnová from the Prague Mother Association. This together with the association Oživení and the Partnership Foundation organized the competition.

Many Prague schools took part in the event, besides Újezd from Kunratice or Slivenec.

“Children were tasked to photograph themselves, their classmates, teacher or family member posing or walking, riding a bicycle, skating or scooter. The condition was that each contest participant should have a reflective accessory in a visible place,” explained Petra Lukešova.

“We hope that the campaign will help make reflective materials on clothing, handbags or backpacks a matter of course, not only for children but also for adults, as is the case in many other European countries, such as Sweden or the Netherlands,” John concluded.

Sweden wants to have such a safe operation that by 2020 no one should die in operation.

Reflective elements will be mandatory

In November and December, over the past 14 years, a total of 830 people have died, twice the number of other months. The blame is mainly the poor visibility of people on the roads, says traffic police director Tomas Lerch.

Driving in the coming months will be unpleasant sleet, slippery roads, fog and especially dark in the morning and early evening. Especially in the autumn and winter season, the most frequent clashes of cars with pedestrians occur due to reduced visibility. The police, together with the Besip department, will distribute 18,000 reflective tapes as part of the security event.

Pedestrians, according to the leader of Besip Martin Farar, are the only group of people killed in traffic accidents that die more at night than in the daytime. Eight out of ten victims die outside the crossings. In winter, pedestrians most often die in the morning between 06:00 and 07:00 when the light is not yet fully lit and in the afternoon after 16:00 when it gets dark.

November is the most dangerous month for pedestrians

The highest number of crashes is on 1st class roads, although the number of cases has a decreasing tendency. Conversely, on lower-class roads, the number of deaths is increasing. The least fatal incidents with pedestrians are on highways.

“Most of these tragic accidents happen just in the autumn in the morning or in the evening, at a time when everyone on the road is on the sidewalk, but even at a pedestrian crossing, at risk of not seeing them,” Warns Goodyear. According to statistics, November is the riskiest month for pedestrians.

In December and January, the driver waits long hours behind the wheel without sunlight, and the possibility of a serious traffic accident increases significantly. Even if drivers drive only one-fifth of the total mileage at night, nearly 50 percent of all major road accidents happen at night or in the dark.

This year, 68 pedestrians died on the roads from January to September, but according to Besip estimates, this figure will rise to around 116 by the end of the year. Over the last three months, more than two-fifths of those killed have been killed. Pedestrians are the third-largest group of fatalities after passenger car drivers and their passengers. They are followed by bikers and cyclists.

Cars are obliged to shine, but pedestrians, even though they are the most vulnerable in traffic, do not have such a duty yet. The Ministry of Transport, however, has already prepared a law that would require the use of reflective elements.

The draft amendment to the Act on Road Traffic, which is currently under the comment procedure, envisages the introduction of an obligation for pedestrians moving along an unlit road or on the edge of a roadway to have reflective elements on them.

“Every pedestrian should know that in dark clothes, he is almost invisible in the dark on the road. A driver who does not see the pedestrians in time cannot respond quickly and avoids pedestrians safely,” explains Katarína Ardová from Goodyear. It is therefore very important that the driver sees the pedestrian or cyclist in time. Any reflective element that can reflect the incident light from the vehicle headlamps is well suited to this.

With reflective material elements, the pedestrian is visible to the driver up to 200 meters, while if the wear is black or blue, it is only 18 meters. However, the reflective elements do not work much in fog, rain or snow.

In some countries, the number of deaths has been reduced by the mandatory use of reflective vests for pedestrians. Reflective elements can reduce pedestrian participation in a fatal accident by up to ten times in poor visibility. In addition to a vest, a suitable solution is a backpack or jackets with reflective elements. “We found it better to move the light area,” says Robert Stastný from Skoda Auto. “Reflective elements are better to have on the limbs we move than on the body or backpack,” he adds.

Half of the pedestrians die from accidents at night

Pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable on the road. Last year 112 died in accidents, 65 of them at night. Drivers usually admit that they have not seen them at all. Bright clothing and reflective tapes greatly increase visibility and can save lives. In stores, however, want those that meet the standards and at night you will not betray the road

Last year 65 people died on the roads at night. Dark clothes without significant reflective elements and, also, the seasons of darkening faster are one of the greatest dangers in road traffic.

“We can increase the visibility in traffic on pedestrian roads as well as cyclists or motorcyclists by suitably colored clothes and accessories made of fluorescent and mainly reflective materials. We should always do everything possible to be as visible as possible,” Martin Farář from BESIP appeals.

It does not have to be a reflective vest, which discourages many pedestrians as an accessory to clothing. “A reflective tape is enough. Ideally around the ankle and wrist, always on the roadside,” adds Farář.

“We found it better to move the light area,” says Robert Šťastný of the ŠKODA Road Safety Research Team. “Reflective elements are better to have on the limbs we move than on the body or backpack,” he adds.

However, not all tapes and patches are of sufficient quality and will provide pedestrians on the road at night with the services expected of them. The parish priest pointed out that there were products on our market that did not have the necessary properties. When purchasing, it must be ensured that the retro-reflective materials are labeled by European standards.

White clothing driver records from 55 meters

How does the color of clothing affect the visibility of pedestrians and cyclists? The man in the blue driver records up to a distance of 18 meters, the red-dressed increases this distance to 24 meters. If a pedestrian or cyclist dresses in yellow, the driver can see it from 37 meters and the white clothing can be seen from 55 meters.

But even such a distance may not be enough. If a car is traveling at a speed of 75 kilometers per hour and although the driver is bright, it takes about 1.5 seconds to respond to pedestrians or cyclists. During that time he will travel another 31 meters and he has only 24 meters left to avoid a collision.

Fluorescent materials increase the contrast of pedestrians or cyclists to the background and extend the distance the driver can notice. But they only increase visibility during the day and at dusk, losing their function in the dark. Reflective tapes and patches are visible to the driver from a distance of 200 meters and the driver has enough time to react.

“The principle of seeing and being seen still applies. All road users must ensure their safety. In the case of drivers, this may include the use of a mandatory safety vest in the event of an incident and subsequent movement on the road. The seeming little thing that can decide on pedestrian health in low visibility is a suitable reflective accessory to clothing,” confirms Tomáš Lerch, Director of Traffic Police.

“Glue” the kids and the bike

Children are the most vulnerable in road traffic. They must be as clear as possible on the road and sidewalk. Get them bright clothes with reflective fabrics, as well as briefcases and shoes.

Reflective elements are also necessary on the bike. The front white reflector, the red and orange rear reflectors on the pedals and the spokes are mandatory for cyclists. Reflective elements on boots, helmet and jersey or clothing provide increased safety. In fog or poor visibility, the front wheel must have a white headlamp and a steady red flashing light at the rear.

From Saturday on the road with only reflective elements

This Saturday, February 20, will come into force an amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which introduces the obligation for pedestrians to wear a reflective element if they move outside the village by road in low visibility. Initially, the police will distribute reflective tapes.

The aim is primarily to prevent serious and fatal accidents caused by the fact that the pedestrian was not sufficiently visible on the road. Between 2012 and 2015, 523 pedestrians died on the roads, including 303 at night. Only last year, 72 people died and were not seen at night.

“A driver who meets pedestrians in black clothes at night has about 18 meters to respond adequately. At a speed of around 70 km / h, he has less than a second to perform the maneuver and avoid the crash,” says Tomas Neřold from the Ministry of Transport. “However, if a pedestrian is equipped with a reflective element, the distance over which the driver can recognize a pedestrian (reflective vest) increases up to 200 meters. This distance already gives him enough space to avoid pedestrians at these 70 km / h.”

The obligation to wear a reflective element applies from Saturday to pedestrians in those cases when it is moving outside the village in poor visibility (not only at night but also at dusk, fog, etc.) along the verge or at the edge of the road in a place not illuminated public lighting. “Of course, from safety, it is good to use reflective elements wherever there is a risk that the driver cannot safely recognize a pedestrian,” adds Neřold.

“You don’t have to wear a reflective vest, a high-quality retro-reflective material of a distinctive color (yellow, light green, orange, etc.) that is visible to other road users is enough. For example, a reflective tape placed on the leg or hand (ideally on both limbs) in the direction of the road is ideal,” says Neřold.

In the event of a breach of this obligation, there is a risk of a fine ranging from zero to CZK 2,000 blockwise, from CZK 1,500 to 2,500 in administrative proceedings. “Instead of imposing sanctions, however, police patrols will rather talk to people and give them reflective tapes and bags so that they do not break the law next time and move safely on the road,” adds Tomas Nerold.

The MF DNES test has verified that a pedestrian with a flashlight is best visible to the driver. Unfortunately, the flashlight is not a reflective element and does not comply with the law. Theoretically, a pedestrian can be fined for using it instead of reflective tape.