The lighted mobile or the white t-shirt will not save your life on the night road. You’d better buy reflective vests, ideal for the widest bands in bright colors. But there are huge differences among them – the ability to reflect light is the best for them, compared to the last sixty times.
Usually tragic, as statistics show. For example, over 130 pedestrians died on the roads last year, 60 percent of which were killed at night.
Therefore, according to the amendment to the Road Act, pedestrians are obliged to wear so-called retro-reflective elements as of February when they move on an unlit road outside the village in the dark, dark, in heavy rain, snow or in the tunnel.
Therefore, the MF DNES Test, together with BESIP, tested 26 reflective tapes. We bought it in various places – shops, post offices, gas stations and e-shops. Measurement of the retro reflection, i.e. the intensity with which the tapes reflect the light, was taken by the accredited laboratory of the Center for Transport Research.
Most of them are bright yellow
At first glance, tapes at each end of the qualitative scale look virtually the same – light green, plastic, self-winding. “In fact, it’s not the color of the tape, but the amount and density of a special glass mass that provides a reflection of light in the tape,” explains the principle of BESIP Martin Farrar. However, it is difficult for the layman to know.
The first advice on how to properly choose a reflective tape is, according to the painter. “Be careful about whether the tape meets the standard.”
In mind, the standard is EN 471 or 20471. Look for the tape or the enclosed instructions. However, as the test showed, the quality of the retro reflection does not necessarily have to be directly related to the quality of the information given. That’s why the Ferrier recommends considering color.
“We recommend the color most bright yellow, which is best visible and red or green,” says the BESIP chief.
Although the red color of reflective elements conforms to a technical standard, it is also better to choose the lightest shade – which is also confirmed by the test results. In the first half of the ranking, there was no red, not even orange tape, but the last eight of them had a color of just five.
“Ideal is white and silver, where no color is applied to dampen reflection. Because the color will partially absorb the light that falls on it, the darker the strip will be, the less it will shine, “explains the consequences of physical laws Lukas of the technology company 3M, which deals with the development and production of reflective materials.
The third advice when choosing a ribbon is quite practical, namely to try to get the widest reflective strip.
And if you have the option, choose a predicable dealer for your purchase. Idea is to get the tape directly with the BESIP logo. The top three also received two products from the Czech Post offer.