Correct bike lighting plays a key role in preventing accidents. A sample survey in the nine largest Swiss cities has shown that the correct use of bicycle lights still requires a great deal of action. More than 20% of the cyclists were without light at night and endangered themselves and other road users. More than 50% of cyclists in the city of Geneva were without light and reflective vests. With this survey, the TCS wants to set an example in the context of the “Day of Light” and to raise awareness of this important topic.
Of the sampled bikes, almost 80% were properly equipped with front and rear lights. Sometimes the lighting was poor. The results in the different Swiss cities were very different. The leader was the city of Aargau, where 100% of the tested bicycles were underway with the right lighting. At the bottom, the city of Geneva, where only about half of the tested bicycles with proper light were traveling.
“Light-biking without light not only puts one’s own safety at risk but anyone without light endangers all other road users Lack of visibility is a common cause of accidents Many of these accidents could be avoided with little effort,” says Helmut, TCS traffic safety expert.
At dawn and at night, the risk of the accident is three times higher than during the day. If there is rain, snow or backlighting, the accident risk is even up to ten times higher. Correct light is important in two ways: it increases the safety of cyclists because they can better recognize and at the same time they are perceived by other road users earlier and better.
Regulations in Switzerland
Concerning bicycle light, there are clear rules: the headlight must be white, the taillight must be red. Both bicycle light must not flash and must be visible from 100 meters away. Basically, almost every standard bicycle light meets the legal requirements. Nevertheless, there are better and less suitable light for different types of bicycles and need (see TCS (2016) test report). It is important in any case, that you are completely visible.
Reflective clothing is important
In unfavorable conditions, a person wearing dark clothing is only visible to drivers from a distance of 25 meters. That’s often too late. Clothes with reflective fabrics are already visible from a distance of 140 meters and allow the other road users more time to react. The fact that luminous vests will not prevail in wide for practical and fashionable reasons, fashion industry and trade have been recognized. Meanwhile, there are already numerous products on the market, in which security and style can be quite combined. The MADE VISIBLE campaign by the Traffic Safety Fund aims to actively promote exactly this development and offers on its homepage a helpful overview of solutions that are already available and suitable for everyday use.