Tag: reflective clothing

Protect pet from fireworks

The leaves fall from the trees, the wind sometimes blows stormily around our ears, the days get shorter and the nights longer. A fun time to spend with family and (animal) friends. And just to get a breath of fresh air and go for a walk with the dog. But the winter period also requires attention. A veterinarian from Sterkliniek Vets West-Friesland warns pet owners about the dangers that can occur if there is no reflective clothing during holidays and dark months. “We would like to give some tips and advice, so that people can safely pass through the winter and the new year with their pet,” says veterinarian and practice manager Renate Oudhuis.

Now it gets dark early, it is extra important to pay attention to the safety of a pet. Make sure that not only the pet is clearly visible, but the person who discharges him or her, so that the person is not overlooked by other road users. An accident is in a small corner and can have major consequences for the health of the pet if it is injured. Therefore, choose good lighting options for the pet, such as reflective tapes, a reflective vest or, for example, a safety light to attach to the dog leash. And try to avoid badly lit footpaths and cycle paths.

CHT survey shows more than 20% of cyclists ride at night without lights

Bicycle fires play a vital role in preventing accidents. A TCS survey carried out in the nine largest Swiss cities shows that there is still much to be done in this area. Thus, more than 20% of cyclists were driving at night without lighting and putting themselves in danger as well as other road users. In Geneva, there were even more than 50% of bicycles without traffic lights. With this survey, the TCS wants to send a clear message as part of the “Day of Light” and help raise awareness of this fundamental issue.

Of the bicycles surveyed, nearly 80% were properly equipped with front and rear lights, but the lighting was sometimes insufficient. The results differ a lot in different cities. The city of Aura (AG) is at the top of the list: 100% of the bikes tested were correctly equipped. Geneva, where barely half of the cyclists controlled circulated with adequate lighting, inherited the red lantern.

“Cyclists without fires do not only compromise their own safety. While driving without lighting, they also endanger other road users. Poor visibility is a common cause of accidents. Many of them could be avoided at little cost, “says TCS Communication & Campaign Manager Helmet Gruyere.

The risk of an accident is three times higher at night or in the dark than the day. If you add rain, snow or a backlight, it can even be multiplied by ten. Adequate lighting is important for two reasons: it increases the safety of cyclists because they themselves can better identify hazards, and it allows other road users to notice them earlier.

Rules in Switzerland

When it comes to bicycle lighting, the rules are clear: the bicycle must have a white light at the front and a red light at the rear. Both lights must be non-flashing and visible at a distance of 100 meters. In principle, the majority of commercially available bicycle lights meet these legal requirements. Nevertheless, there are better or less adapted lighting according to the needs and the different types of bicycles (see the TCS (2016)). In any case, it is important to be perfectly visible.

The importance of reflective clothing

In poor visibility, a person wearing dark clothing is seen by motorists only 25 meters away. In this case, it is often too late. Clothing with reflective tapes or reflective elements is visible at 140 meters and gives other road users more time to react. The fashion industry and distribution have realized that it is impossible to generalize the reflective vest for practical and aesthetic reasons. But today, there are many products on the market that reconcile style and safety. The MADE VISIBLE campaign supported by the Road Safety Fund wants to encourage this development by offering on its website a useful overview of the solutions available and easy to implement on a daily basis.

Tips to walk safely in the dark

The darkest days of the year are rapidly approaching. For many runners that mean training before the sun rises, or after work, when it is pitch dark. With our tips, you also keep it safe during those dark running training sessions.

  1. Fluorescent is the new black

The more striking your clothes, the greater the chance that other road users will notice you from afar. So let your black standard outfits hang in the closet and put on your most flashy sports clothes. Fashion guru Jani may not like it, but you will receive bonus points from us if you combine fluorescent with reflective material. Nowadays there are even sprays that lay a temporary reflective layer over your clothes. Handy!

  1. Invest in lighting

With fluorescent and reflective clothing, you are already well on your way. What is much safer? Taking care of your own lighting! This makes you appear on the floor in front of you so that you see where you have to put your feet. And, of course, drivers see from a great distance that a runner is arriving. Do not just think of white front light such as a headlight, but also a red backlight, for example, a run light that you comfortably wear in a “harness”.

The Senior in the Dark passed the bypass

A 90-year-old woman died in a cervical hospital, which was hit by a car on the highway on Monday. The Senior traveled through a bustling road in places where it was forbidden by signs, in the dark and without reflective vests.

The accident happened on Monday, at about half past seven. Toyota’s twenty-six-year-old driver drove in Prague, and near the department store, he collided with a pedestrian.

“One hundred and the eighty-year-old woman suffered very severe injuries. First aid was given to her by the South Bohemian Medical Emergency Rescue Service crew. Subsequently, the rescue workers transported it to the hospital, “police spokesman Milan said.

This morning, a report from the hospital came out saying that the senior had succumbed to the injuries. “The police have started criminal proceedings for suspicion of committing a crime of negligence,” Milan said.

The woman went to places where traffic signs were forbidden. At the same time, the darkness and the senior did not have reflective clothing or reflective materials.

“We remind all pedestrians and cyclists to remember these elements,” Milan pointed out.

On-site police officers took a breath test with a negative result while listening to witnesses.

According to Milan, the police can hardly exclude whether a woman would commit suicide in this way.

Instead, pedestrians choose quite often despite the ban. About two months ago, another woman died when she crossed over. This year, 67 people died on South Bohemian roads.

Riding in the dark: that is to be considered

In autumn and winter, it cannot always be avoided that one moves in the dark with his horse. We explain which equipment is indispensable and what else needs to be considered.

Autumn has its own charm: clear, sunny days, leaves shine in gold and red, the leaves have fallen to the ground, rustling with every step… At the same time the hours of sun are steadily decreasing, dusk and darkness break-in earlier. Then as a working man, who usually can only spend time in the evening for his hobby, equestrian sport, cannot enjoy the luxury of a lit space or even a riding arena, must either forego the movement of the horse during the week or into the dark out the car. However, if you pay attention to a few things and get the right equipment, riding in the dark can be very special. Especially on clear moonlit nights you literally get to know the surroundings of the stable in a new light.

No fear of the dark

Incidentally, horses look a lot more relaxed than humans when they go out in the dark. Because horses look good in low light. Tapetum lucidum is the name of the responsible reflective layer in the back of the horse eye. It ensures the incident light passes through the retina twice. This enhances the response of the photoreceptors there. In addition, horses have three times as many receptors as humans, so even a weak light stimulus is better perceived and the contrast between light and dark intensified.

Although horses see well in the dark, it is advisable to get used to the changed circumstances slowly before the first nocturnal rides and first go out at dusk. First, you should familiarize the horse on the usual routes with the additional equipment such as headlamp, reflective ceiling or even the headlights of oncoming cars. If you feel uncomfortable in the dark and you are alarmed at the slightest noise, a night trip with a horse is probably not such a good idea. Horses are sensitive animals and often perceive their rider’s mood faster than they do themselves. The horse can easily be infected by the insecurity of the biped and transformed into a tense fearful rabbit. If horse and rider are restless and tense, the ride not only does not give any real pleasure, it can also be dangerous for humans and animals in such circumstances.

Anyone who wants to or has to go into the countryside in the dark and even participates in traffic must equip themselves accordingly. This is true even for short trips to the tarmac, for example, when you lead the horse from the paddock into the stable and then walk or cross a road. Anyone driving a car knows how bad the view is at dusk. Pedestrians and even large animals such as horses can easily be overlooked. Equipment with reflective safety equipment is therefore mandatory, says Daniela Wolf, “Safety is absolutely paramount. If someone asks me if reflexes are really always necessary, I ask a counter question: ‘Do I always need a helmet when riding – or is it enough if I wear one now and then?’ “Traffic is steadily increasing, and riding routes are mostly in the urban area getting harder and harder to reach. “When I’m on the road and in the field, safety should be in the foreground. And especially in the twilight, in poor visibility through fog or rain or even in the dark one is always dependent on the – timely – reactions of others in their own safety. Everything that draws attention to me and my horse at an early stage is clearly an advantage, “says Wolf.

Equestrian sports retailers now offer a variety of reflective riding equipment, which brings great benefits at low prices. Comprehensive equipment for rider and horse ensures good visibility in oncoming and subsequent traffic, but also from the side. “You can usually do without elaborate technology. The light clothing for rider and horse has proven itself in practice and proven to be practical and functional, “explains Wolf. The range of light articles is now large. Particularly striking because of the large coverage is a reflective blanket, which makes it easier for drivers to perceive the contours of the horse better. It is important that the ceiling is held in a fluorescent neon color and also has reflective stripes.

The fact that the rider should also be equipped with reflective clothing has several reasons: First, it increases the reflective surface, which makes the rider-horse team all the more visible and better. In addition, during a ride, it may well come to situations in which the rider takes down and leads the horse. In such a case, a rider without a vest would be virtually invisible to traffic. Of course, you should also consider the worst case: The horse shoes, makes a sentence on the side, the rider crashes and comes hurt or even unconscious on the road to lie down. The lack of a reflective garment could have fatal consequences in this case.

The horse can be more visible by additional articles. We recommend reflective leggings or goofballs. The headlights of the car illuminate primarily the road, so the area near the ground – the farther away, the closer to the ground is the illuminated area, as the light beam is lowered by about one centimeter per meter. Accordingly, objects on the street level are first illuminated, horseback and rider backs are often detected by the headlights when the vehicle is already very close. Gaiters, however, come faster in the range of the light cone and are thus visible to the driver earlier. In principle, one should buy leggings for all four legs, in case of doubt, but at least the left front and the left hind leg provided with a gaiter. The leg movement of the horse additionally enhances the reflective effect and makes the pair even more alert.

So that the horse is quickly and completely visible to oncoming cars, reflective tapes for bridles and reins, as well as reflective necklaces and ear covers are available. For those who really want to play it safe, tail guards, halter covers and rods in reflective materials also available. Also, individual reflector strips, such as for attachment to arms or legs, are available. Additional boot and stirrup lamps mark the lateral corner points of the rider-horse pair and help motorists to maintain the necessary safety distance when overtaking.

The order of revolt

“Yellow vests” “EN ISO 20471” are the name of the safety vest worldwide. In France, she now inherits the revolutionary symbolism.

It was supposed to unite France’s revolutionaries. The Cap of Jacob was once a great idea, it was the hallmark of the Robespierre followers, the sans-culottes, the fighting workers and the petty bourgeoisie. The Jacobean cap stood for freedom, brotherhood, but above all for the equality of the revolutionaries. At the same time, the so-called Phrygian cap was a great symbolic misunderstanding: the barricade fighters put the headgear on their angry head in the historical mistaken belief that it was already carried by freed slaves in antiquity. This is not true, because they had the felt cut on the vertex. The “Phrygian cap” was actually a tanned bull scrotum that was supposed to give the antique bear the power of a bull.

Revolutionary mood reigns in France these days. The fashion, however, has changed. At present, the “yellow vests” are fighting on the Champs-Élysées and throughout the Republic against the increase in petrol taxes and the state, as Emmanuel Macron imagines. Cheap vests as a symbol of rebellion against the tightened suit policy of Macron’s “En Marche” movement. Not a blue-white-red democracy movement, but a neon-glowing exclamation point that should unite communists and nationalists with the French rogue.

After all, the brief history of the warning vest tells pretty much the opposite of disobedience, revolution, and insurrection. It was invented to protect, not to cause chaos. It was intended to secure airport staff, truck drivers, hunters, and construction workers with increased visibility. In addition, folders of all kinds are equipped with the “yellow vest” to organize the public mess with a hard hand. At some point, the safety vest was then the accessory of dutiful helicopter parents: no kindergarten trip without apple slices and big yellow jackets. The strange species of radical cyclists wear safety vests so naturally over the Jack jacket as the plastic-helmet-protected bicycle helmet on their head and the neon yellow trouser-straps around the shins. There’s nothing more spiteful than safety vests – at most garden gnomes (who – why actually? – get along largely without yellow vests).

It was the English who eventually developed safety vests for chickens (in models neon yellow, pink and blue) and successfully exported them. The EU understood less fun. It has bureaucratically buttoned and unified the “yellow vest”: as part of the harmonization of Member States’ legislation on personal protective equipment, a standard for safety vests has been introduced, which is entitled EN ISO 20471. Since then, it has been necessary to carry “warning reflective clothing” in cars, which comply with implementation instructions of DGUV regulation 70, which refers to DIN EN 471 and certain requirements of the latter. ” Ironically, this globally standardized garment should now stand for a new French Revolution? Burning cars instead of protection for drivers? Disarray and uprising instead of clothes for folders? Coup d’état in mantle an EU standard? The state-obligatory clothes for the fight for freedom? Is this the second time in the history of France that this is a fashionable error of the revolutionaries? Are the “yellow vest” the Phrygian scrotums of our time? And is it in France really a neon revolution according to DIN standard?

It’s not that easy. Probably no other garment is present in as many households as the safety vest. It belongs in every car like the toilet paper on a toilet. The safety vest is the accessory that unites a people in truth. An affront to Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gautier and Karl Lagerfeld, the latter would probably claim that anyone wearing a warning vest, has long lost control of his life. The safety vest with reflective tape is as practical-rational as the guillotine and the cheapest and most socially acceptable uniform (the four-pack is available from 10.99 Euros). It symbolizes the history of the working class and at the same time embodies the people subjugated in the name of security. And most importantly: The common safety vest screams continuously, day and night, in neon-shrill clarity: “Look at me! Do not forget me!”

Incidentally, in her old paintings, the revolutionary icon of France, the Marianne, proudly wears a Jacobean cap as she storms over burning barricades. The German Michel, on the other hand, was quickly given a similar, but completely differently connoted head covering by the French: with a sleepyhead. As a symbol of having lost the revolution. While the Jacobean cap has brought it into the democratic fashion of the United States, the sleepyhead still adorns mainly the garden gnomes in German front gardens.

Ultimately, little has changed in Europe since the first French Revolution. While the Parisians with the warning vest storm the streets, the Germans drive model EN ISO 20471 dutifully in the trunk around. And if they bring it out, then to be visible in the winter darkness.

Nationwide Action “Days of Visibility”

Good to come through the dark season. The police gave tips and checks to pupils and kindergartens.

Such a police presence did not exist in the small town. Police chief Simone Speller and police master Christian Salk had already set up the laser device on Thursday on the L 73 at 6:30 am. Within three hours, 55 vehicles were measured. The leader was a 35-year-old Ford Mondeo driver, who drove through the town at 73 instead of the predetermined 50km / h. After deducting three km / h tolerance, the man was lucky and only had to pay 35 Euros.

But speed was just one side. Much more was the “Days of Visibility” campaign, which was held nationwide for the first time. In front of the school stood Ute Striker and Hartman Press, traffic educators of the police station. They checked if parents were on the road with proper lighting. In four vehicles defects were detected. Since most children now use the school bus in the dark season, only a few girls and boys come by bicycle. A total of eight bicycles were checked. Three were missing the spoke reflectors. Eckhart Seidel and High Commissioner Axel had reflectors with them and equipped the cyclists with it.

“In the dark, the risk of accidents is three times higher than during the day. Therefore, you should also make sure to be safer on the road, “advised Eckhart Seidel the primary school students. Almost 750 pedestrians and around 2,600 cyclists died in road traffic in the state of Brandenburg last year. Often they are simply overlooked. Bright clothes and reflective clothing are the nuts and bolts. While reflective materials can still be seen 140 meters away, the visibility of dark clothing is only just under 25 meters. “Parents should pay attention when buying the clothes. There are also reflective fabrics, zippers and seams, “says Seidel. Students of the elementary school thought it was great yesterday that instead of math and German traffic education was on the timetable. They were allowed to test the speedometer. Police master Christian Salk showed them how to track down speeders. “The red dot must hit the vehicle, then press the trigger,” Salk demands.

145 primary school students

Eleven-year-old Lea was amazed at how slow motorists drove after she had discovered the laser device. “Otherwise, they drive much faster.”, says the student. 145 pupils from primary school were included in the nationwide campaign. The children and educators of the daycare did not miss the opportunity. Christian Salk almost brought the laser device to its knees so that the tots could also take a look. Only the youngest had to content themselves with a look into the police car. Even before the daycare, checks were carried out early in the morning. There two cars were tracked down, their light was not in order.

So first graders master the way to school

They are barely larger than the knapsack they carry on their backs. And they are excited, a whole new period of life begins. And for some, the path may not even be 100 percent. Around 1,200 girls and boys from the Höxter district have their very first day of school on Thursday, 30 August. At the latest from the following Friday, the little ones will go on the daily way to school. So that the steppes arrive safely, city, police and traffic watch gives important tips.

On foot

Most children are at school. The youngsters did not only gain experience. “Movement and fresh air before the class start also increase the ability to concentrate,” informs the Höxter district police, but because they perceive their surroundings differently from adults, they are in traffic especially at risk.

Go the way up to ten times

The Verkehrswacht advises parents to walk the path five to ten times with their offspring. Even at the beginning of school, the adults should still be there. “Because there is more traffic than at holiday time,” says Oliver. Parents should not forget their role model function, especially with regard to traffic lights and crossing aid and mobile phone use.

First of all, the Verkehrswacht recommends that the children do not go to school in groups. “Until they are safe on the way to school and recognize danger spots,” says Thane, because alone, the little ones usually learned better and were less distracting. “Thereafter, nothing speaks against dating,” says the traffic expert. Especially in the dark season, Thane advises “visible reflective clothing.” Safety vests, reflectors, satchels or flashing shoes which made with reflective fabrics, “There is even reflective yarn, especially creative parents can knit hats.”

Police are present on the first days

In the first few days, the police will be present on the school routes. “Help and education are in the foreground,” a statement said, and officials are also announcing increased speed measurements and checks on child seats, bus and bicycle traffic.

By bicycle

By bike only older children should go to school. “It’s not until they’re 14 that the ability to ride safely develops,” the police said, adding that the ability to focus on road traffic over a longer period of time does not train boys and girls until they are about eight years old.

By bus

Not every village in the district has its own elementary school. Many males will take the school bus. “Bus driving should also be practiced,” advises Oliver Thane, “Dangerous situations usually appear when getting in,” says the expert. Therefore, not only the way to the stop but also the getting in and out as well as sitting down should be trained. The school bus stops are on the right side of the street.

Parental taxis should use parking in the area

“On the way back, things can be different”, Thane points out, so children could suddenly run across the street behind the bus, so the police are also calling for stopping school buses to “pass by in two directions at walking pace”.

By car

The most convenient way to get to school is certainly the parental taxi. If you bring your own child to school by car, you should not chauffeur it all the way to the schoolyard. “Due to the pressure of the vehicle, there is a high-risk potential,” the city of Höxter informs on NW request, “Parking space in the area should be used for getting in and out.”

“Yellow vests” also in Belgium

Twelve wounded policemen, 74 arrested, a few burned cars – this is the balance of yesterday’s protests in Brussels against fuel price increases. The Belgian Minister of the Interior has announced that today the police will also be mobilized.

The protest of the so-called yellow safety vests has moved from France to Belgium. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Jan Jambon, in connection with the protests promised in France today, the police forces in the Belgian capital remain ready. The detention of aggressive people after yesterday’s protests will also be continued today.

“People who have been detained today will hear accusations. You can protest, but attacks on policemen are unacceptable. And those who have committed acts of aggression and have not been arrested yet cannot feel peaceful. We have recordings from cameras and testimonies.” said the VRT head of the Belgian Ministry of the Interior.

Yesterday’s demonstration went quietly to a certain point, but later the demonstrators began blocking tunnels in the city, overturning police cars and setting them on fire. Protesters threw stones at the Prime Minister’s seat and demanded his resignation.

Protests in Belgium moved to this country from France. On December 1, another wave of protests will be rolled over France on Saturday. It will be the third consecutive Saturday when demonstrations against fuel price increases will take place in the country.

Five thousand policemen were mobilized in Paris. Champs Elysees closed for vehicular traffic. Passers-by everywhere – bags and backpacks are checked. All this is to guard against a repeat of the riots of last week when shops and restaurants were demolished, cars were burned. The losses were estimated at one million Euros.

“Yellow vests” – because of the wearing of this type of reflective clothing with reflective tapes to ensure road safety is called protesters’ movement, they do not intend to put up a gun, they will demonstrate against fuel rises, more than six cents per liter will be fueled by diesel oil, according to President Emmanuel Macron be an element of the fight for environmental protection.

The attempt to talk with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe with “yellow vests” was considered a failure. Of the eight guests invited there were two, but the head of the government decided that the conversation was interesting, direct, respectful, useful and added that the door to his office at the Matignon Palace they are always open to “yellow vests.” Traders complain about losses, but as many as 85 percents of the population support the protesters.

The steps you must follow when you have a breakdown on the road

Both in the city and on the road, in case of an emergency, connect the emergency signaling to notify other users.

Whenever you can, slow down and head towards the shoulder or to a side away from the main road, where the car and its occupants are protected.

When you have a breakdown on the road, try to signal your vehicle well so that other drivers know your situation.

The average age of the passenger car fleet in Spain is now 12 years old and according to data from the General Directorate of Traffic, about 65% of the vehicles that circulate in Spain are more than ten years old. With these data, it is not strange that road failures increase. In 2016, mechanical problems increased by more than 16%, as confirmed by the RACE Fault Barometer. Breakdowns related to batteries or tires and traffic accidents were the most frequent problems.

Older cars or those that are poorly maintained are more likely to suffer a breakdown or accident, so be prepared to know how to act. Both in town and on the road, in case of any problem or emergency, emergency signaling must be connected to notify other users.

On the road, we must act with greater care due to the higher speed at which the vehicles circulate. Although it is an unforeseen and complicated situation, it is important to remain calm to act quickly and accurately without looking away from what is happening around you. Whenever you can, slow down and head towards the shoulder or to a side away from the main road, where the car and its occupants are protected.

Remember that, if you are forced to stop the car in a place that interferes with the movement of other vehicles, it is mandatory that you use emergency triangles. Do not forget that both the driver and passengers must put on the reflective clothing with reflective tape for clothing before leaving the vehicle. Failure to comply with these regulations and/or not use the triangles carries a fine of 200 Euros.

Once the presence of the vehicle is well marked and the occupants are not in danger, you can call the assistance service through your insurance company to come to help you or through any company specializing in roadside assistance. It is important that you stay away from the road to avoid abuses and that at no time you remove the reflective vest.