The initiative will take effect on January 1, 2016, considering an infraction for not wearing the reflective vest in the car that will constitute a slight fault.
A driver is exposed to being run over when he descends from his vehicle because of a technical breakdown, especially if the emergency occurs during low light or at night. Faced with this problem, the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications announced a new decree that will require the wearing of a reflective vest on the vehicle, in order to make the driver more visible in case he must descend from the vehicle to attend an emergency.
On the occasion, the Minister of Transport, Andrés Gomez-Lobo, explained “the lack of visibility is the main factor that affects the occurrence of the abuses in low-light hours, so we are promoting the use of reflective material for protect people’s lives and prevent accidents.” In addition, Minister Gomez-Lobo called for self-care: “Before getting off the vehicle in case of emergency, put on the reflective vest. It will make you visible and it can save your life, “said the minister.
The executive secretary of Cohasset, Francisca said, “More time of vision implies a greater reaction time of the motorist. As an example: a person is visible at night at only 40 meters, which means that a driver walking at 65 kilometers per hour could not stop in time. With the reflective vest on, the person is visible from more than 150 meters and with high lights even from about 400 meters. ”
This new decree adds the reflective vest to the other safety elements that must be found in each motorized vehicle to deal with emergencies, such as the safety triangle. The high visibility vest must contain both fluorescent and retro reflective material, and must always be carried in a location on the vehicle that is accessible from inside, such as the glove compartment, so that the driver gets off the vehicle and wearing the vest.
The decree will come into effect on January 1, 2016, considering an infraction for not wearing the vest in the car that will constitute a slight fault, which translates into a fine of 0.2 to 0.5 UTM.
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In the last ten years, more than 6,000 people have been killed in Chile and only in 2013; the number of pedestrians who died in traffic accidents was 631. According to international experiences, the use of reflective elements significantly reduces the number of people killed.