Category: reflective fabric

With the Decree of October, there was no obligation for drivers to carry bulbs or fuses in the car, and the contents of the first-aid kit changed. Almost none noticed that a mandatory vest was missing in the mandatory equipment. The ministry tried to simplify the decree and go on the way of the Austrians. Experts, however, draw attention to complications in interpreting the law.

The Ministry of Transport has simplified the technical equipment of the car. The first day of October last year came into force Decree No. 208/2018 Coll., Which amended the Decree on the approval of the technical competence of a car and on the technical conditions for the operation of the road vehicle (No. 341/2014 Coll.). You do not have to carry any replacement bulbs that most drivers can not replace, as well as fuses or under certain conditions a spare wheel. And from the first-aid kit, a lot of things could be eliminated by the driver.

The Czech Republic was one of the last countries where the law ordered riders to carry this gear. By the ministry, the ministry has made things much easier, and it is actually the way of the Austrians, who also do not have to carry everything from the flashlight to the light bulbs, but their equipment is mainly related to the driver and is rather his responsibility to be prepared for any hardship.

But few have noticed that after the amendment has dropped out of the decree, and therefore from the mandatory equipment of the car, also recommended and experts so much discussed reflex vest. This is only mentioned in the Road Traffic Act No. 361/2000 Coll., According to which the driver must wear it if he/she is traveling on the road outside the village in an emergency. In the municipality, the obligation to wear reflective tapes does not apply.

Fraud experts criticize the law because this innovation can lead to speculation in both roadside and roadside checks, but also to reduce road safety.

“I’m surprised that almost no one noticed. Everyone, following the amendment of this Decree, limited itself to information on incandescent lamps, fuses, and the contents of the first aid kit. Thanks to this we almost missed a big topic of visibility of road users and possible complications associated with the missing vest in the vehicle, “commented Martin Bedded, a transport specialist from Dekra, who pointed out in the paragraphs.

He added that it is imperative to alert the driver to the absence of a vest, as it should be clearly and completely defined in the decree, in order to avoid speculations and interpretations of the law in practice. Now, the driver needs to have a vest in the car.

The ministry insists that the vest is part of the mandatory equipment. However, there is no de facto rule in the decree. The editors of iDNES., therefore, asked for the interpretation of Michael Dlabol’s transport law expert. “It is necessary to distinguish between compulsory equipment, ie between what must always be in the vehicle and between what the driver must wear sometimes. And since the reflective vest from October 1, 2018, fell out of the decree on the approval of technical competence and technical conditions for the operation of vehicles on the road, there is no doubt that it is no longer part of the mandatory equipment, “Dlabola pointed out.

This is equally perceived by transport expert Roman Budsky from the new security platform Vision Zero. “Reflective vest is no longer listed in mandatory vehicle equipment. It’s hard to say whether this is a mistake or intention on the part of the ministry, “he said.

The topic of visibility is often discussed and road safety experts often remind the vest. In addition, since February 2016, the Czech Republic has introduced an obligation to provide retro-reflective fabric for pedestrians outside the village. “For this reason, the absence of a reflective vest in the mandatory equipment of the vehicle seems to be a mistake. If the fault actually occurred, immediate remedy is in place, “Bednar recalls.

What does it mean in practice? The driver does not have to carry her in the car. “This means that if a driver does anything other than to move on a road outside the village in an emergency because of an accident, a break or nausea, no one can be penalized and fined for not having a reflective vest in the vehicle. The police can not blame the driver even if he is in an emergency in the village or if he is out of the village, but he will not be on the road, “Michal Dlabola, law expert on traffic law, explained.

Because the vest is not listed directly in the decree, the technicians should not be interested in the technical equipment of the vehicle, who should not be involved in the technical examination of the car, and thus threaten the driver that his car will not pass the STK due to the missing vest. Controls are subject to mandatory items only.

The protesters’ leadership from the middle of November of the so-called yellow vests announced their intention to create their own list for the May elections to the European Parliament. For now, 10 names of potential candidates were given. None of them has ever been a politician.

The movement of the “yellow vests” began protests on November 17 in the opposition to the announcement to raise the excise tax on fuels. Because the first protested drivers, who put on reflective vests, the movement adopted the name of the “yellow vests”. Over time, it transformed into a broader initiative against the rising costs of living and politics led by President Emmanuel Macron.

Reflective fabrics and reflective tapes on the reflective vest make them visible.

Nurse, accountant, and housewife

The movement was created from the bottom up and did not have any organized structure. After a few weeks, however, a group of leaders emerged. Now they announced their desire to submit their electoral list to the European Parliament elections. In total, 79 names are to be found on it. In the first place will be the 31-nurse Ingrid Levavasseur, who became one of the faces of the protests of the “yellow vests”.

For the time being, the names of the first 10 potential candidates have been revealed. None of them has ever dealt with politics. The list includes the names of people who have previously performed the usual competition – an accountant, a forklift operator or a housewife. “We want to create a list that reflects what French citizenship looks like and show that from the first day of our protests we are independent and unrelated to any political party,” explained one of the leaders of the “yellow vests” Hayk Shahinyan.

Lots of enticing “yellow vests”

The list announced by the protestant movement was called the Civic Assembly of the Initiative. In addition to issuing candidates for the EP elections, it is to be used to collect signatures for a city proposal for a referendum on economic reforms in France. In order for it to be organized, at least 700,000 need to be organized. signatures. An opinion poll carried out in December by the IFOP showed that it would have voted 13% on the electoral list created by the “yellow vests”. French.

This potential has already been noticed by political parties. First of all, radical. The supporters of the “yellow vests” were supported by the National Assembly under the command of Marine Le Pen, the extreme left-wing France of Nieujarzmiona Jean-Luc Melenchon and the French Communist Party. The words “Yellow Vest” were registered as a trademark, a close associate of Le Pen Florian Philippot, who last year founded his own nationalist party Patriots.

300 reflective vests were founded by the Bridgestone factory and the rest of the city.

Reflective vests with images of a koala bear and an elephant have reached children from Stargard kindergartens and a municipal nursery today. Some of them were funded by the Bridgestone factory.

“We know how important safety is, we produce tires,” says Pieter, president of Bridgestone Stargard. “We often take part in various actions aimed at promoting safety, including wearing reflective clothing with reflective fabrics by pedestrians and cyclists.”

The children did not hide their satisfaction with the vests.

“They are great! the little ones were happy. We will wear them on walks.”

For over half a thousand nurseries and kindergarten children, vests were picked up at the City Hall by the headmasters or employees of these institutions.

This is another preventive action in the city. Recently, reflections with reflective tapes were handed out to the cyclists by the municipal police, as well as members of the presidential advisory team, who handed them over to the oldest inhabitants of the city.

Christmas is coming fast. Cars are arriving on the streets, traffic problems may arise. Police officers turn to all drivers for safety, compliance with traffic rules and patience. The pedestrians, in turn, remind about the obligation to wear reflective vests, especially in the morning and evening hours. “In this way, we will avoid many unnecessary road events and we will be able to sit down at the Christmas Eve table,” they tell the uniform.

The uniforms appeal to drivers to be particularly careful. “Non-adaptation of speed to weather conditions and the insufficient distance between vehicles leads to numerous accidents and collisions,” they observe.

“We also appeal to pedestrians to wear reflective vests with reflective tapes in a visible manner to drivers. It is the duty of all pedestrians who move on a roadway or roadside outside of a built-up area after dark. It’s worth taking care of your safety by wearing a reflective element also in the built-up area. The reflector is recommended to be placed at the knees, hands, around the center of the chest and back, then we will be sure that they are clearly visible to other road users, especially drivers. We remind you that after dark a pedestrian dressed in a dark outfit is seen by the driver of the vehicle from a distance of about 40 meters. He will see the pedestrian with a reflective vest with reflective fabric from a distance of 150 meters. Such a distance will allow the driver to slow down and safely avoid the pedestrian. The law provides for a fine for the lack of glare after dark outside the built-up area,” they explain.