Since last February 20, people are obliged to wear reflective elements while walking outside the village in poor visibility. However, the number of dead pedestrians did not reduce it much. This year, by the end of October, 79 people died on the roads in the Czech Republic, only by six less than in the previous year. According to experts, it would be beneficial if reflective elements were mandatory for pedestrians on any road, including in a city or municipality.
“I proposed to introduce this obligation across the board in 2014 when I was still at the Ministry of Transport (MD). However, I was told at the time that it would be too much because people should not be burdened with excessive obligations,” Roman Budský of the Road Safety Team said on Wednesday.
The Czech Republic should be inspired by the example of Slovakia, Finland, and Estonia, where the obligation to wear reflective elements applies across the board.
Asked if people would have to wear reflective vests or belts even on Wenceslas Square in Prague, Budský replied: “Of course not, this would only be true on those roads in urban areas where there is insufficient lighting. It is on local roads that there are most often clashes of vehicles with pedestrians.”
The police also ask for an extension of the obligation
At the moment, the Ministry of Transport is not preparing an amendment that would extend the obligation of pedestrians to wear reflective elements to cities. “However, the discussion is already underway at the expert level, for example by the police,” Martin Farář, head of the BESIP department of the Ministry of Transport, confirmed to Právo.
If MD puts on the experts and suggests the introduction of reflective elements across the board, it will not be easy in the House. After all, in 2015, Minister of Transport Dan Ťok had missed: “When I heard some deputies that they did not want to look like clowns with a reflective vest, I could not be surprised.”
There are uncertainties in the current amendment
There are some uncertainties in the current legislation that would certainly deserve the changes. For example, the amendment stipulates that the pedestrian should have reflective elements in the dark or at daytime with reduced visibility when traveling outside the village along the shoulder or road edge. However, it does not address cases where a pedestrian crosses the road.
“Therefore, a pedestrian will not break the law if he does not have a reflective element when crossing. It must be seen,” Budský points out. The current amendment to the Road Traffic Act also lacks an implementing decree that would specify what color and minimum size a reflective element should have and where the pedestrian should wear it.
When a pedestrian is equipped with a correctly reflective element in poor visibility, the distance the driver can recognize is increased up to 200 meters. And that gives enough time for the driver to react in time and safely avoid the pedestrian. “But this is not the case when a pedestrian has too short a reflective belt on his clothing or turns it into a roll on a backpack strap, which is useless,” Brodsky said.
Fine up to 2000 CZK
If police find pedestrians that they do not have a reflective element when walking on a road outside the village in poor visibility, they can be fined up to 2000 crowns.
The reason why this obligation has been legalized in the fact that only between 2012 and 2015 a total of 523 pedestrians died and 303 of them died at night. Even more threatening is the long-term statistics, according to which from 1993 to October this year, 5770 pedestrians died on the roads, and this is a smaller town.
“People mistakenly think that they must have reflective materials only in the dark. However, this is not accurate, as it must be visibly labeled even at dusk, for example at dawn or after sunset. In the fog, it is advisable to have a light source with you, such as an electric flashlight,” recommends Farář.