Category: reflective tape

The Ministry of Transportation issued the resolution that regulates the installation and use of retro-reflective tapes in cargo and passenger vehicles that circulate on the roads of the national territory, to increase visibility and reduce the probability of road accidents.

The Transport portfolio indicated that the tapes will be mandatory for vehicles traveling on public or private roads, and also the colors established for the retro-reflective tapes are only red and white.

Both public service and private motor vehicles intended for the transport of passengers, with a capacity of more than 9 passengers including the driver, that transit through the suburban, rural national routes, must have the tapes installed no later than January 4.

The deadlines for controls to start were established in three groups, the first expires on September 4, 2019; In this are cargo transport vehicles with a weight greater than 0.75 tons, as well as agricultural, industrial and self-propelled construction machinery that travels on public roads.

The last term expires on May 4 and applies to mixed transport vehicles, with a capacity of more than 9 passengers including the driver, that transit on public or private roads.

The resolution establishes that for public and private vehicles, destined for the transportation of passengers that circulate exclusively on the roads of the municipal urban perimeter, the installation and use of retro-reflective tapes will not be compulsory; This measure can be accepted voluntarily.

The document states that vehicles must install a white tape on the front, the white and red tapes must be located on the side and red tape must be placed on the back. Drivers who do not adopt these measures will be sanctioned by the corresponding authorities.

Freight transport causes traffic accidents for various reasons, one of these is the lack of lighting, so personnel from the Traffic Department of the National Civil Police (PNC) place reflective tapes on trailers and trucks, to make them more visible, especially at night and when it rains.

Delegates from the Traffic Department indicated that the reflective tapes are given to drivers as part of the Winter Road Safety 2019 campaign, which aims to reduce road mishaps.

They also mentioned that many of those vehicles are stranded due to mechanical damage or are parked in the middle of the lanes without any type of lighting, which has caused accidents, so they also make a call to conscience to the pilots to place reflective cones. and keep emergency lights in good condition.

According to statistics from the Traffic Department, trucks and trailers are responsible for 5.1 percent of accidents across the country. 39 percent of mishaps are caused by motorcyclists and the rest by drivers of different types of vehicles.

Prevention

Recently, the Traffic Department began training for pilots of private companies, since, according to authorities, many drivers are unaware of the rules for driving and therefore commit fouls.

Bad conditions

Rony Mendoza, president of the Heavy Transport Union, considers that the conditions in which truck and trailer drivers work are deplorable and that there is an unfair competition that does not allow those who work on their own to have better labor guarantees.

“If someone is offered a freight for Q3 thousand, there is never a shortage that arrives and offers Q2 thousand. That is unfair,” he lamented.

Mendoza said that the problem is that many drivers start driving from 1 in the morning and do not have adequate places to rest or eat food.

Also read: Rain causes damage in four departments in the south-west of the country

Pilot testimonials

Mechanical failures and fatigue of the head drivers are factors that affect the tragedies.

Rigoberto López, the trailer pilot, said: “They are machines, and at any moment they fail. This work is tiring. Time restrictions affect us. We drive all night to get through the city. Sometimes it makes me sleepy, like every human being”.

Alejandro Ramírez, the trailer pilot, stated: “There is also recklessness on the part of many drivers. You should drive to 80, and if urged at 85. After that there is a danger that the brakes will not respond. Some go up to 120 kilometers per hour, at night”.

According to authorities, there are several reasons why trailer and truck accidents occur.

In recent days, the United States Embassy and the specialist firm 3M held a forum on “Perspectives and Trends in Road Safety” at the end of which the need to reduce accidents and deaths on the roads, mainly from motorcyclists and bicyclists, was evident, and in which work will begin on the protection of the latter thanks to the use of retro-reflective or simply reflective tapes, as they are known.

Posted by Dacia 1300 New York on Sunday, April 12, 2020

The figures to start working on a future regulation for the use of these elements were released during the forum:

As of May, road deaths in Colombia totaled 1,366, most of them were motorcyclists or cyclists.

Motorcyclists have put 48% of road deaths in the past 4 years. And the figure instead of falling is increasing, because in the first seven months of the year the death toll reached 1,000.

According to IDB figures, traffic accidents mainly affect people with less income. And the magnitude of this problem is so great that it is estimated that in Latin America 120,000 people die each year and 5 million are injured.

Retro-reflective tapes for motorcycles and bicycles

Under this scenario, 3M highlighted its commitment to strengthening road safety from its technical expertise through the development and innovation of products aimed at improving road infrastructure and visibility on roads, mainly motorcycles and bicycles.

And it is that according to Víctor Cabrera, Business Manager for Latin America of the Transportation Security Division of 3M, the use of this type of tapes has significantly reduced accidents in countries where their use has become mandatory.

Globally, the implementation of contour marking with retro-reflective tapes increases the perception distance at night by up to 100%.

In the United States, speaking of freight transport using these tapes, the reduction in accidents at night fell by 21% between 1962 and 2012. In Italy, the rule was implemented in 2005, and five years later, accidents in the night decreased 36 percent.

In China, these figures fell by 43% for 2017, and thus, the global average of deaths from traffic accidents at night in the countries where these perimeter tapes began to be used in trucks and other vehicles had reductions that are in a range between 22 and 43%.

With this evidence, conversations are being held with the country’s authorities so that the most vulnerable road actors have greater visibility at night, as a form of protection.

And it is that the new materials that 3M develops in terms of retro-reflectivity, were pioneers in these elements in 1940, have advanced to the point that it has different types of light intensity that these tapes offer so that regardless of the climatic conditions, those of the road, or the speed of movement, both motorcyclists and bicyclists can be seen in traffic and that the ‘information’ that returns to drivers is clearer.

Thus the idea is that both helmets, vests, the bodywork, the wheels of motorcycles and bicycles and even the plate, in the case of motorcycles, make use of the new reflective materials that give them greater perimeter and rear visibility to avoid accidents by the scope and at the intersections that are the most critical points for these road actors.

And it is that although it is still in talks with the authorities to implement these elements in the future, the figures provided by the specialists are dramatic due to the reality in which they expose the state of the roads in the country in which the different corridors share actors:

1. 80% of the roads in Colombia are not prepared for coexistence with pedestrians.

2. 85% of the tracks are not prepared for coexistence with motorcycles

3. 90% of the routes are not prepared to coexist with bicycles and pedicabs.

FACT

The American firm 3M, which has products developed for different branches of the industry, and has a division specialized in the automotive segment, mainly in paints and security, as they have specialized in the development of traffic signs, reflective paving tapes, brands reflective for vehicles, safety films for automotive windows and registration plates.

The City of Old Town launched its new pedestrian initiative “Walk Safe Old Town” on Nov. 15 to increase the visibility of people walking or running near roadways in the dark.

Old Town residents can pick up free reflective vests at Old Town City Hall. The city purchased the vests for $4.70 each using the city’s Safety Committee Fund.

“The bottom line is it’s going to let people enjoy the outdoors in the safest way they can,” said Travis Roy, assistant city manager. “This just seems like the right thing to do at the right time.”

Within hours of the initiative being announced on the Old Town Police Department’s Facebook page, about 20 people came to City Hall to pick up a vest on Nov. 15 with an estimated 35 more by the following Monday, requiring the city to order a second batch of vests, according to Roy. As of Friday, 120 vests had been picked up with the third batch of 80 vests ordered.

“We’re quite thrilled that the first batch is gone, and we’re on our second batch,” Roy said. “It shows people agreed with us. It was a good thing to do.”

Similar to the ones worn by Old Town Public Works employees, the vests are bright neon yellow with gray reflective tapes and orange stripes along the back. Roy suggests residents pick up a vest in a larger size so they can be worn over their coats in the winter.

Although it would not save every pedestrian, Roy said that if they can get people to wear the vest when they are near the road, it would help increase safety. He also suggests that residents keep the vests clean as it would help their effectiveness.

According to a study by the Governors Highway Association, an estimated 6,227 pedestrians died the first six months of 2018 including three in Maine. In January, a University of Maine student was killed after being hit by a plow at the intersection of Bennoch Road and Stillwater Avenue.

“We ask that when using these vests, you are still very aware of your surroundings, while the vests will dramatically increase your visibility, one must be mindful of your proximity to traffic,” the Old Town Police Department wrote in a press release.

Roy hopes that the success of the vests will encourage other areas to participate in similar projects.

“We’d love to have other communities jump on board and do the same,” he said.

Old Town residents can pick up a reflective vest at Old Town City Hall 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The vests are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are available in most adult sizes.

The Seimas Energy and Sustainable Development Commission approved the draft amendment to the Law on Road Traffic Safety, which concerns the obligation of cyclists to wear a brightly colored vest reflecting light, with four members voting in favor and three abstentions.

The project’s explanatory memorandum states that the project aims to remove the unnecessary, statistically unjustified requirement for cyclists to wear a brightly colored vest with reflective tapes or to have a white light on the front and a red light on the front and red light on. to provide for this requirement when driving on the carriageway, except cycle paths, footpaths, and cycle paths and cycle lanes.

According to the authors, the draft law aims to make cycling more aesthetically and comfortably attractive – without reducing traffic safety, to abandon excessive requirements for bicycle traffic during daylight hours.

The draft will still have to be considered by the main committee before the Seimas sitting.

Impaired visibility, fog, dusk, earlier dimming. Autumn conditions are especially dangerous for pedestrians. Many people forget the obligation to wear a reflective element. A mistake can cost a life. They can lose enough money because of high fines and because of the cuts in policies. How to make it visible?

Statistics confirm that many pedestrians are still dying in the dark. Unnecessary and due to their own mistakes They do not pay attention to sufficient visibility for the driver just in the dark, but also in poor visibility during the day.

A total of 113 pedestrians died in accidents last year. In the night accidents, 58 of them died, 30 of them in the village and 28 outside the village. The youngest killed pedestrian in the dark was 19, while the oldest was 84 years old.

Pedestrians died in poor daytime visibility

A further 9 pedestrians died in the day when visibility was impaired due to climatic conditions, or at dawn or dusk. With normal visibility during the day, 46 pedestrians perished, ie only 41 percent of the total casualties.

With poor visibility, the consequences for pedestrians are often fatal. “Most of the victims died at a time when visibility was reduced,” says Roman Budský from Platform Vision 0.

Pedestrian in the fog

Will pedestrians be obliged to “shine” in the village? Ministry vs. experts

Above-average dangers are the dark months of the year for pedestrians, ie November to March. With the coming cold autumn season, followed by the winter months, they should do more than ever to be visible to the driver.

When and where is a pedestrian obliged to use reflective accessories?

Always in poor visibility when moving outside the village along the side of the road or the edge of the road in a place not illuminated by public lighting. “Reduced visibility is not only in the dark but also at dawn, dusk, daytime in the rain, fog, snow… In short, when road users do not identify other vehicles, people, animals or objects on the road,” Brodsky explains.

How to make it visible?

The Road Traffic Act stipulates that a pedestrian must wear elements of retro-reflective material placed to be visible to other road users. However, it is not stated exactly how the reflective supplement should look and where it should be located.

High-quality reflective tapes

Half of the reflective tapes are useless, trade inspection found!

“As a minimum, I consider the dimensions of a high-quality reflective tape, which should be placed above the wrist or possibly above the ankle on the side facing the center of the road. However, reflective tapes must be really good. Being in vibrant color does not mean that they will be visible even in the dark. It should also be pointed out that the reflective tape wrapped in a roll and placed, for example, on the handle of a handbag or bag, does not have enough space to be visible to the driver,” says Budský.

In poor visibility, drivers most perceive pedestrians with reflective accessories located on moving parts of the body – ideally above the wrist and ankle. They respond to moving luminous spots approximately three times earlier than to the reflective pads statically placed on the fuselage.

Reflective strips can be supplemented with quality reflective pendants. “The best color of reflective accessories can be considered bright yellow with a greenish shade, or bright red, red-orange or orange,” adds Roman Budský.

Invisibility can become significantly more expensive for pedestrians

“Pedestrians who fail to comply with the new obligation face a fine of up to CZK 2,000. Also, they may have problems with the insurance company. We will investigate whether the use of reflective elements could prevent or mitigate the accident. If we find that their use would not affect the course of the accident, we will not impose any sanctions against the pedestrian. But in case of proving complicity or guilt by the pedestrian, we could reduce the amount paid,” confirms Milan Káňa from Kooperativa.

The law requires pedestrians to use reflective accessories only outside the municipality. Experts, however, strongly recommend their use in low visibility even in the village. Foreign experience shows that half of the pedestrians who died in the dark could live if they were marked with quality reflexes.