Category: reflective vest

On Wednesday, the government did not support the proposal of the group of Seimas members to waive the requirement for cyclists to wear a brightly colored vest with light-reflecting elements or to have a white light on the front and a red light on the rear when turning on during daylight hours. It is also proposed that in non-settlements, this requirement be limited to the carriageway, except cycle paths, footpaths, and cycle paths. The obligation to wear brightly colored vests has been introduced since 2014. July 1 On Wednesday, the government rejected a bill to amend section 17 of the Road Traffic Safety Act. The group that drafted the amendments to the law based on the petition of Marijus Kupčinskas states that the current procedure is not based on scientific information and specific data. Police officers in many counties also do not collect specific information about cyclists involved in traffic accidents with or without vests.

It is important to mention that according to the Road Traffic Regulations (KET), it is not mandatory to wear reflective vests or ride with the lights on during daylight hours when cycling or paving during the day. According to the Law on Road Traffic Safety (SEAKĮ), bicycle paths and lanes are also included in the carriageway. There is a contradiction. The cyclist must wear a brightly colored vest with reflective elements or white light at the front and a red light at the rear. The proposal is not based on any data. no objective data, research or studies. demonstrating that the existing requirements for cyclists are redundant and that the waiving of these requirements will not have a negative impact on road safety, making the proposal unacceptable from a road safety point of view.

“The measures provided by the law to improve the visibility of cyclists are inexpensive and easily accessible, and their effectiveness is based on research,” the government resolution said. It is also considered that the proposal to abandon measures to improve the visibility of cyclists during daylight hours is not in line with the vision of the European Union institutions to ensure road safety for the most vulnerable road users. Is popularization more important than security? In road and traffic safety legislation, the carriageway is considered to be an integral part of the road as a roadside, sidewalk, pedestrian and bicycle paths, etc. It is believed that it is unacceptable to increase the popularity of cycling by waiving traffic safety requirements and endangering the lives or health of road users. And the non-use of traffic safety measures during daylight hours can endanger traffic safety, affect the creation of a dangerous situation due to insufficient visibility of cyclists. The amendments are planned to be considered further in the Seimas in December.

Penalties are imposed on poor clothing on the road outside the inhabited areas. Being well visible in the dark is also true for horse riders. For safety, reflective clothing is also recommended in cities.

Several times a week, a laborer Milan from Teplice goes to work by car to the industrial zone near Krupka. Morning and evening. Pedestrians often pass by unlit roads between Srbice and the industrial area. “They do not have reflective elements and they are not very visible,” Milan described. According to experts, dark clothing is very dangerous especially in the current weather, when there is frequent fog.

The law speaks clearly in this regard. “On roads outside the municipality, the pedestrian is obliged to wear reflective material elements so that they are visible to other traffic participants,” said Daniel Vítek from the Teplice Police.

This is the case of the road from Teplice towards the industrial zone near Krupka. That’s why the police went there for a preventive check these days. “Two people went this way without being seen. They were fined 300 crowns,” said the policeman.

According to Josef Šejbl, who had been in charge of the Teplice traffic police for many years, a dark-skinned pedestrian is hardly visible to the driver during the daytime and offers almost no room for safe evasive maneuver. “In the gloom, the driver even needs about 200 meters for a safe maneuver after seeing a pedestrian at a speed of 75 km / h,” said a transport expert.

Safety elements outside the village must also have a person who goes to the side of the dog or riding a horse. “I ordered a month ago that all those who ride our horses in the afternoon and evening from the riding stables to the stables on the road must wear reflective vests to be visible to the drivers,” Petra Svobodova from the Sports stable Úpořina said.

During the last four weeks, several car-pedestrian clashes have occurred in Teplice. This was mainly because the man on the road did not have reflective equipment and was not visible to the driver from a sufficient distance in the dark.

The police warn of this. For example, in Masaryk Street in Teplice on the marked crossing in mid-November, a car and pedestrian clashed and the ambulance had to be transported from the place with suspicion of serious head injury to the hospital.

Last-minute brakes

There are even several crossings in the spa town, which are not visible in the evening despite the illuminated street lamps for drivers. For example, on a busy road along with the theater at the intersection with Lipová Street. “It happened to me several times that I had to apply the brake at the last minute. I just didn’t see a man there. He ran out of the park. He was wearing black trousers and a dark jacket,” said the bus driver Lukáš.

The turn of November and December is a risk period in terms of transport. A regional spokesman for the ambulance Prokop Voleník even describes him as one of the riskiest periods when he goes more into accidents. They occur in cities where the obligation to wear reflective elements is not prescribed by law. According to the police, the pedestrian must be well visible but also here.

“That is why we also appeal to those who move in municipalities, especially in poor visibility, to use reflective elements, thus reducing the risk of collision. He protects his life and health,” said Daniel Vítek from the Teplice police.

The days are getting shorter and more and more people are moving outdoors and in traffic as the darkness sets. Then it is important to think about being visible.

“The most common mistake is overestimating your visibility and pretending to be visible,” says Camilla Samuelsson, intervention police in the Ängelholm local police area.

The reflex can be cheap insurance and Camilla Samuelsson believes in seeing more and more wearing reflective vests.

“I imagine that those who are used to being out and going at these times have different thinking. But on the whole, you are probably poor at taking on, perhaps especially in urban environments where it is illuminated and you think that the lighting helps one to be seen,” says Camilla.

Among the teenagers, Camilla is sometimes told that it is foolish to wear a reflective vest. Just as it is wasteful to use a bicycle helmet. To pop up the reflex by designing reflective jackets, for example, she thinks can be important for getting a certain target group to start using reflexes and realize risks.

“If you as a parent do not have reflex, the children do not have it either. It is also very important how we affect each other,” says Camilla.

Angelin Guy and Tuva Vidal at the handing over of reflective vests at Junibacken’s preschool.

At Junibacken’s preschool, educators believe that the influence can be made in other ways and that the children bring the behavior home to the parents. Länsförsäkringar works with sustainability and wants to help create a safe everyday life. That is why the office in Ängelholm has decided to distribute reflective vests to preschools.

“To target, the child was a choice we made, it should start on time. It is a good target group that can affect parents,” says Ingvar Johansson.

The preschool Junibacken has received reflexes, but more preschools have the opportunity to get vests. It is, first of all, says Ingvar Johansson.

“That’s really good. We are sometimes bad at using reflective vests but this is going to be a kick in the end,” says Lisa Karstorp, an educator at the Junibacken preschool.

Do you ever talk about the importance of reflexes?

“If we see that one of the children has reflections on the clothes, we point it out and talk about why it is important,” says Lisa Karstorp.

Police Camilla Samuelsson has no evidence that the number of accidents will increase in the fall. She believes that there are different risks for each season.

What to think about if you should go out and walk in the dark?

“Having reflex. If you do not want a large vest then you should set the reflections low for the motorist often have their eyes directed low. A hanging reflex can also be good, then it is something that moves and catches the attention. Don’t take for granted that the motorist sees you, even if you have reflexes, there are many unsafe drivers in traffic, so pay attention,” says Camilla.

If you go out on a bike, other regulations apply. As long as the bike is guided, the rules apply to pedestrians. But as soon as you jump up on the bike, it counts as a vehicle.

Then the traffic rules apply, such as stopping at red lights and showing the direction of travel. You should keep to the right and you must not cycle on the pavement.

Failure to meet the requirements for which lighting and reflectors a bike should be equipped with can be costly. If any of the lamps/reflectors are missing or they are out of order, it costs 500 SEK. Should it simply be that the lamp is not switched on it also costs 500 SEK? The police currently have no pronounced response to bicycle users. In the past, the Police have informed the public about the rules that apply and then go out and make an effort in reality.

Then we have been working out in the evening and actually fined. Our ambition is to release us once in the fall, then to what extent depends on the prevailing situation all around. Then checks are made more or less on occasions when we have radio cars driving outside and you discover these misbehaviors.

The “West Fairy” arrived recently at the Brewster Central School District in New York. Today, her fashion efforts are not only improving transportation department morale but also encouraging more positive interactions with students who ride the school buses.

Five years ago, the district decided for all drivers or any transportation staff members in the school bus yard to wear yellow reflective vests. Mary Smith, supervisor of transportation for the district, said the vests help staff be easily visible to motorists, especially in the early morning, late afternoon or evening.

However, vests quickly became a fashion faux pas among drivers. Smith explained that when she became a supervisor in 2017, the drivers felt more comfortable approaching her to complain about the news situation.

“I came from the driving population and moved up in my role here,” Smith explained. “So, I guess they thought I would have a sympathetic ear. They started asking, ‘Do we have to wear it?’ I certainly want to bypass safety for them, even though they felt uncomfortable wearing it.”

Smith continued, “They started asking,‘ Do we have to wear them while driving? Do we have to wear them when we go to the schools to use the restrooms? ‘Because they felt like it was a fashion faux pas. It matches their outfits, and they walk into that building with all the educators all dressed up nice, and as school bus driver Irene Farias said, they felt like a flag around the side of a highway.”

Farias was also tired of her hearing coworkers complaining about the vests and decided to do something about them. She used a fabric die-cutting machine to make items for her daughter’s wedding, and it soon became a hobby for her.

Farias said she was using the machine so much that the idea came to her to Cricut her news.

“I was listening to everyone complain about their vests, that they are ugly, they are annoying,” Farias said. “I went the opposite [way] because I am positive. I said I am going to embrace my news. I’m going to love my news and make it my own.”

Farias made decorations for her news first and the concept snowballed from there. Her coworkers started asking her to also decorate their vests. Now, Farias has a line of people waiting to be visited by “West Fairy.”

The vests range in style and decoration based on each person’s interests. She said people have asked for sports logos, Harry Potter themes, Disney characters and more.

“One of the women would rather be on the beach because she talks about the beach all the time,” Smith relayed. “Farias made me a shirt, not a news item that says, ‘I Made The Yard Great Again,’ because I’m the new supervisor. The old supervisor is gone, and morale has been lifted. Farias contributed to boosting morale.”

Farias noted that sometimes people would tell her what they want on their vests, while other times, she chooses the design based on their personalities and what they talk about.

“She’s surprised a few people with some vests. Someone retired and made a retired Superman news for them,” Smith explained. “I think a few birthdays gave her the news.”

“I decided that everybody should like their vests,” Farias said. “I’m going to have everyone who wants their vests done to put their name in, and twice a month I’m going to pick a name out and decorate their vests.”

While also boosting departmental morale, Smith said the idea is to give student riders another opportunity to interact positively with their drivers. Smith explained that students often only see the drivers as being disciplinary, and many young students think the drivers never actually leave the bus.

“Fun, but most importantly, it inspires the kids,” Smith said. “This idea kind of personalizes the drivers a little bit and invites a nice friendly conversation about ‘Hey, you like Micky Mouse.’ It makes the driverless intimidating, and the monitors as well, they wear the vests too. And a lot of the monitors have been hit with the fairy. ”

Farias said the idea is spreading, and other surrounding districts have reached out to her about decorating their vests. She said she was hoping her idea spreads even a farther, and expressed the hope that it could even be used as a safety campaign for the community.

“I want mine to say, ‘Red Means Stop,'” Smith added.

Devin Way wakes up early, pulls on a fluorescent green safety jacket and grabs his stop sign – the armor of a crossing guard.

Three times a day, he stands at busy Halifax crosswalk and shuttles school children across four lanes of traffic.

The crossing guard has been yelled at, honked at, swiped by bumpers, and given the finger more times than he can count.

“I take that in what I do. But it is a precarious profession,” Way said after a recent morning shift.

“An epidemic of people being stuck in the crosswalks.”

Crossing guards are on the front lines of a protracted clash between cars and pedestrians, one that claims hundreds of victims across Atlantic Canada every year.

In 2019, Halifax Regional Police said 175 pedestrians were injured by vehicles, with four deaths. An additional 72 collisions involved vehicles and a bicycle, scooter or skateboard.

In St. John’s, there were 86 collisions in 2019 involving pedestrians, according to Service NL. So far in 2020, 14 pedestrians have been involved in collisions with vehicles in the Northeast Avalon region, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said.

The problem a police, government and community groups are trying to address.

Awareness campaigns across Atlantic Canada, like Heads Up Halifax, promote safer behavior on the roads.

A few streets in the region have been redesigned with speed bumps, raised crosswalks, narrower intersections, and reduced speed limits.

Still, vehicle-pedestrian collisions continue.

Visibility not the main factor

In Halifax, the majority occur in crosswalks with clear weather conditions and in daylight. The peak time for collisions is about 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays – when crossing guards are at their posts.

Yet even crossing guards – with their neon reflective vests, stop sign and training – get hit.

In January, a Halifax crossing guard was injured when a two-vehicle collision sent one car careening off the road, striking the guard who was standing on the side. Last year, a crossing guard was hit by a vehicle in Clayton Park while helping pedestrians cross the road.

“Getting worse,” said Glenna Casavechia, president of the Halifax crossing guard union CUPE Local 4814.

“We’ve been a crossing guard for 25 years and still amazed at how fast people go without even paying attention.”

Situated near the airport, this Caldwell Road Elementary School is in Dartmouth. She’s been yelled at, hit, and has witnessed rear-enders and cars going up on the sidewalks to avoid crashes.

Still, she keeps donning her safety news and ferrying students across the road to help them stay safe and “make a little extra money for the grandchildren.”

Casavechia said the problem is a lack of enforcement.

“They don’t enforce the rules on the drivers,” she said. “We need permanent radar signs, we need to remind people of the fines are doubled in school zones and we need a lower speed limit.”

Crossing guard pay, safety clothing allowance

Eugene Holloway, a crossing guard since 1985, helps pedestrians cross the street at the intersection of Quinpool and Connaught on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. Eugene Holloway, a crossing guard since 1985, helps pedestrians cross the street at the intersection of Quinpool and Connaught on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. – Ryan Taplin

Despite the risks crossing guards take to help kids get to school safely, many make minimum wage or slightly more.

Halifax’s 150 crossing guards earn $ 14 an hour and receive a $ 175 clothing allowance upon hire. The majority work a 3.5-hour shift, although a handful only works two hours if no lunch-hour shift.

In Charlottetown, the city’s 22 crossing guards make the minimum wage or $ 12.25 per hour, and most work three hours a day.

The city of Moncton was unable to say how much its crossing guards make. It pays an hourly rate of $ 14.25 to $ 14.75 to Neptune Security, a private contractor who oversees the municipality’s 29 crossing guards. A spokesman for Neptune said he could not divulge the pay of its employees, as it goes against the company’s policies.

In St. John’s, 16 crossing guards are paid between $ 12.59 and $ 13.96 an hour, and receive a weekly travel allowance if they travel more than 1.6 km to the school.

While most crossing guards across the region receive a piece of reflective safety news and hand-held stop sign, John’s they are also provided with a whistle and rain suit.

Contributing factors

Students cross the street to attend Birchwood Intermediate School in Charlottetown in this file photo. – Alison Jenkins

“Drivers in St. John’s are faster and wilder than they used to be,” said Roger White, a geography professor at Memorial University.

“Gotten worse over the last 20 or 30 years and still not enforcing here.”

He said sidewalks are rarely adequately cleared, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street.

Daniel Fuller, the Canada Research Chair in Population Physical Activity at Memorial University, said roads need to be safer for everyone – including drivers.

“We need to focus the conversation away from just making pedestrians safer because then we get into this pedestrian versus driver argument,” he said.

“We need policies like Vision Zero that are going to make the roads safer for everyone.”

Vision Zero aims to improve road safety to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on the road. The idea is that by making the roads safer for the most vulnerable users – like school children and the crossing guards helping them – roads will also be safer for motorists.

Fuller said changing road design, particularly at intersections, and reducing speed limits are proven ways to improve road safety.

“Every time you add 10 km to the speed, you double the risk to the person being hit,” he said. “Violated an exponential curve.”