Autumn has begun. This season brings many unpleasant phenomena. Late dawn, soon dimming, visibility is reduced due to weather conditions. Reduced visibility is a common cause of many tragic accidents.
Their victims are often pedestrians and cyclists. They are the weakest road user and are the most vulnerable. They have very little chance against cars, motorbikes, and trucks.
Cars are obliged to light, pedestrians do not have such a possibility. Cyclists must be illuminated, but in many cases, they are not. “Seeing and being seen” is the basic rule of road safety. It pays twice for reduced visibility. Drivers who hurt pedestrians agree that they have not seen him at all or too late.
Visibility can be enhanced by suitably colored clothing and accessories made of fluorescent and reflective materials that increase the light contrast to the background and extend the distance a pedestrian or cyclist can notice.
Fluorescent materials increase visibility in daylight and dusk but lose their function in the dark. The most commonly used colors are bright yellow, green and orange.
Reflective materials reflect light in a narrow cone to the source, up to a distance of about 200 meters. Significantly increase visibility in the dark and in reduced visibility.
Reflective material is visible at night 3 times greater than white clothing and more than 10 times greater than blue clothing.
Keep in mind that at 75 km / h, the driver needs at least 1.5 seconds to realize the danger and respond accordingly – in that time he has traveled 31 meters. And before he starts his evasive maneuver, he walks more than 150 meters from a pedestrian sight. For this quite simple task, which happens on the roads countless daily, the driver needs about 200 meters. And at such a distance, a pedestrian can only see if he is wearing reflective vests.
It is best to place objects made of reflective materials close to the knees, at the ends of the sleeves and the waist level. The point is, if we have only one reflective tape, to have it on the side facing the road and not to have it somewhere under clothing, but visible from all sides. Children can then get clothes that are already equipped with elements of reflective materials, as well as already equipped school bags.
Police warn drivers and all road users not only about their safety but also about the safety of others. Do not count on the fact that it can never happen to you. Those who did not return home would certainly act differently today. But they do not have a chance.