Tag: reflective clothing

Cyclists disagree with the pedestrian’s duty to wear reflective elements

The association that supports cycling as a mode of transport does not agree with the obligation for pedestrians to wear reflective vests. This is enforced in the amendment to the Act on Road Traffic by the Ministry of Transport. “This duty is inadequate, especially in pedestrian-friendly villages, and drivers should be ready for them,” said European MEP Bike Vice President Daniel Moure.

“Introducing the pedestrian’s obligation to wear reflective elements is contrary to the principle of the responsibility of stronger motorists for damages they may cause,” said Moure. The ministry in the proposal demands that the reflective elements be worn in the village where there is no walkway and which are not sufficiently illuminated.

However, according to the association, such conditions meet a number of residential districts, where pedestrians would not be able to move without reflective clothing according to the law. In fact, this will be completely different, the association warned, demanding that even without reflective elements the pedestrian could pass through the communication. In such a case, for example, he might be obliged to step back on the roadside before passing the motorcycle.

In addition to wearing reflective materials, the association requires modifications to the obligations of cyclists when moving in traffic. This includes, among other things, the abolition of the obligation to ride at the right edge of the road, which threatens cyclists, for example, when the roads are parked in roads, in narrow lanes or before a roundabout. Cyclists at the crossing for cyclists should also take precedence over branching vehicles. They prefer to join them even when a motor vehicle comes from a special road so that the marked cycle paths in these sections are not interrupted.

Among the associations that submitted comments on the law were, for example, Auto * Mat Association, organizing cycling, the Brno bicycle association or the Partnership Foundation.

Do not buy reflective vests on the market, experts warn. Some are not visible in the dark

Some reflective vests that are commonly sold here are not visible in the dark. This was found by researchers from but in Brno. These are, for example, vests bought at the market. Although they have a label for the atheists, they are still not working. The obligation to wear reflective elements in the dark has pedestrians outside the village for more than a year.

Researchers at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication of BUT test the reflective vests directly on the field. They use a special camera with a camera to create a so-called bright map. It depicts how much the character is at night in contrast to the surroundings. “What you see here is a luminous analyzer, which is built on a digital SLR camera, which is specially adapted for this case, and the photo is analyzed by the software,” explains the head of the Jan Skoda Lighting Laboratory.

Two figurines went into the dark, 80 meters from the car. At such a distance, it must be seen that the driver has reacted to the pedestrian at speed of about 90km. The technician with the device in the car is focused, photographed and analyzed. “There is only one vest visible from the bright map, the other one cannot be seen,” Jan Skoda said.

Buying a cheap vest is a gamble with life

“A few crowns can mean the difference between life and death. The college is wearing a vest from the market and the record has not been seen, “Michal Bleak, expert of the Department of Forensic Engineering at the Institute of Forensic Engineering, said. A quality vest comes to about two hundred crowns, and drivers can buy it for example at a gas station or in a car-shop. This is believed by researchers. Reflective materials are clearly visible on the vests of night lighting at a distance of 300 meters. For those of the finest, even miles away.

Even the label with the certificate does not guarantee the quality of the vest

There is a vest around fifty crowns at the market. Most of the time he has the necessary certificates on the label. The fact that it will be visible in the dark, but it is still not guaranteed.

It is just that he has a vest for the certificate. It is enough to check the Czech Trade Inspection. If it’s actually shining in the traffic, it’s not already. The obligation to wear reflective elements in the dark has pedestrians outside the village for more than a year. The fact that she was not seen was also a life walker for her last year accident in Becalm. Dark went only in dark clothes. Overall statistics, whether people really wear reflective clothing but do not register the police.

With children about safety on the road

Safe crossing the road, rules of getting around on the road, are topics that were discussed during a meeting between policewomen and children from the school in Bithynia. During the meeting, students received uniformed reflective vests.

Last week (on Friday, April 20) policewomen from the Pavia Police Headquarters visited students from the first grade at the Primary School in Byte. The theme of the meeting was the safety of unprotected road users.

At the beginning of the meeting, the students received uniformed hi vis vests. Policewomen discussed why wearing such vests after dark is very important. Children also talked to policewomen about safe crossing the road at pedestrian crossings with signaling and without traffic lights. Policewomen also reminded about the rules of moving around the road without a sidewalk.

The primary school in Bithynia is located at the very busy national road No. 92. Therefore it is very important that children are aware of the essence of correct crossing the road. In order to make the young students aware, the policewomen who wear a reflective clothing went with the freshmen on the road and showed in practice how to cross the road, discussing the mistakes made by the pedestrians.

The last point of the meeting was to discuss the rules of cycling and the mandatory equipment of these two-wheelers.

Mandatory car equipment. The fines are threatening

Mandatory equipment of the car is indicated by the ordinance of the Minister of Infrastructure of December 31, 2002, on the technical conditions of vehicles and the scope of their necessary equipment. Each car should be provided with a fire extinguisher, a reflective vest and a warning triangle with an approval mark.

The fire extinguisher must be placed in an easily accessible place if necessary. It does not count its expiration date. Lack of a fire extinguisher exposes the driver to a fine of 20 to 500 PLN. The driver can be granted the same mandate for the lack of a warning triangle. In addition, failure to report it in the event of a breakdown is punishable by 150 PLN.

Depending on the current regulations in Poland, a first aid kit is not an obligatory car equipment. However, it is worth having it. Similarly, with a tow rope, reflective safety vest, spare wheel or additional bulbs. There is no requirement to equip the vehicle with these elements but are often used on the road.

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With the mandatory fitting of the vehicle, it is worth mentioning the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Depending on it, the car should meet the mandatory equipment requirements in the country in which it is registered. Thus, a driver from Poland entering a country where it is obligatory to have a reflective clothing and a first aid kit cannot be fined for not having it, because having a first aid kit is not mandatory in Poland. Practice shows that attempts to award a ticket for lack of equipment required by local law still take place. If you do here not accept a ticket, you may need legal assistance in your country. It is worth already during the inspection to notify the Polish consulate about the fact.

Avoid accidents on road with wearing safety vest

It also recommends helmet on and safety vest or fluorescent textiles on. “Responsibility and mutual care are essential in road traffic,” says Professor Dr. med. Joachim, Deputy DGOU President, and President of the German Society for Trauma Surgery as well as Director of the Department of Trauma and Hand Surgery of the University Hospital Dusseldorf.

 

According to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office, in 2016 there were a total of 81,272 bicycle accidents in which people were injured. 393 cyclists died. The main cause of serious bicycle accident injuries was a car crash in 74 percent of the time. In accidents involving a car, the cyclist was only 24 percent the main cause of the accident.

 

A collision between cyclists and turning car or truck drivers is one of the causes of serious cycling accidents. Therefore, Dr. Christopher, Head of the DGOU Prevention and Senior Physician Section at the Department of Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics, and Plastic Surgery at the University Medical Center: “Attention and respect for cyclists must become even stronger.” Do not forget to turn your shoulder glance and seek eye contact with the cyclist. Eye contact ensures mutual perception. If it does not come about, the cyclist should drive restrained, in order to be able to react to a dangerous situation in time – if necessary by stopping and turning the vehicle. Sparing advises: “For their own safety, cyclists should not rely on their right of way.” This applies especially to truck vehicles. Cyclists need to be aware that they may be in the blind spot and the truck driver cannot see them. Remedy here provides technical turn-off assistance, but with which trucks are so far only sporadically equipped and on the cyclists should therefore not rely.

 

In his own interest, the cyclist should also ensure that other road users could recognize him quickly at any time of the day or night. In addition to the traffic-safe bike with lighting is suitable to wear reflective clothing. One option is the safety vest, a simple but very effective means. Reflective straps or stickers also improve visibility. “On the other hand, car drivers must not rely on this provision. Their perception for cyclists should always be sharpened – especially at intersections, “says Sparing.

 

In the life-threatening injured cyclists, the major traumatic brain injury is the main injury. “Every cyclist should therefore use a protective helmet,” advises bicycle accident researcher and DGOU prevention expert. A bicycle helmet protects the head by reducing the energy that acts on the skull when impacted – helmet wearers thus suffer less severe head injuries. In 2017, 19 percent of cyclists wore a helmet. That is an increase of two percent over the previous year. In 2010, it was 9 percent. “The increasing acceptance of the helmet is very positive. Overall, unfortunately, there are still too few people using a helmet, “says Jurua.

 

Helmet, safety reflective vest, and a look at the risks in road traffic are measures that cyclists can implement on their own responsibility immediately and at any time – but which cannot prevent every accident. “For more safety for cyclists, further measures such as infrastructural changes in traffic are therefore necessary,” says Sparing.

Policewomen in reflective vest visited preschoolers

As part of the project “Mom, Dad – I know how to be safe”, Sly police officers in reflective vest visited preschoolers from the Municipal Kindergarten. During meetings with the youngest, they told children what the police officer’s job was and what his uniforms and props needed in his daily service looked like.

 

Yesterday (October 13) as part of the project “Mom, dad – I know how to be safe”, implemented together with the Municipal Nursery, police officers from the Pisa headquarters visited preschoolers. Ladies police officers in safety vest talked about the rules of safe movement on the road, traveling by car in accordance with the regulations and reminded the youngest emergency phone numbers.

 

Uniforms and equipment of police officers, in particular a cap that wandered from head to head, aroused a lot of interest among preschoolers. Children also liked the police lollipop, reflective clothing, and real handcuffs, which were especially interested boys.

 

Meetings with preschoolers are certainly an excellent opportunity to make the youngsters aware of the role and tasks that the Police have in society. They will take place periodically.

Lublin Police distribute reflective vests and lamps

Cyclists and pedestrians are the least protected road users; in the case of a collision with a vehicle, they have almost no chance. In order to improve their safety, police officers from the Social Prevention Team of the District Police Headquarters in Lubing, gave out bicycle lamps and reflective vests, as part of the campaign “I love safety” funded by the Funds of KGHM Polka SA.

 

Due to the fact that pedestrians are also a group vulnerable to participation in road accidents, policewomen also gave them reflective vests and reminded them of the basic rules of how to get around the road – says Anna from the police in Lublin. – The campaign met with great acceptance and satisfaction. Thanks to lighting and reflective clothing, the recipients will be more visible and thus safer on the road.

Police officers plan another similar action at the beginning of autumn.

The obligation to wear reflective vests was passed

MEPs adopted a draft law that would impose new obligations on pedestrians. It is about ordering to wear hi vis vests after dark. Pedestrians who do not comply with the order will face a fine.

 

According to data from the Central Police Headquarters, in 2012 there were 10.3 thousand accidents involving pedestrians. 1167 people died in them. Although the vast majority of such events take place at pedestrian crossings and intersections, a great danger is associated with the movement of pedestrians on roadsides in an undeveloped area. At night, it is virtually impossible to see a pedestrian on time, which is not wearing reflective elements. In 2012, there were 447 accidents, and 59 people died in them. There are many indications that soon there will be fewer such events. SLD deputies prepared a draft regulation that imposed the obligation to wear a reflective vest on pedestrians moving after dark outside the built-up area along roads where there is no sidewalk.

 

Why is it so important? Pedestrian, walking after dark without reflective clothing, is visible from a distance of only 20-30 meters. If the driver travels at 90 km / h, he travels 25 meters in a second. It does not give you any chance of any reaction. However, if the pedestrian is equipped with a reflective element, the driver will notice it from a distance of 130-150 meters and will not have any problems avoiding it.

 

SLD deputies wanted the new law to promote safe behavior instead of becoming a whip on pedestrians, which is why they did not foresee penalties for ignoring the requirement to wear reflective vests. Paradoxically, however, it can turn against a pedestrian. As informs, the police intend to enforce the provisions on general principles, and pursuant to art. 79 of the Code of Misdemeanors, a traffic participant who breaks the other provisions of the Highway Code or issued based on it, may be fined up to PLN 3,000. Of course, it is impossible to suspect that this will be a standard punishment for ignoring the requirement to wear a vest, but its amount will be discretionary and it will depend on the decision of the police officer how much we will receive.

 

It is also worth looking at the issue of adjudging blame for road accidents involving pedestrians. If the obligation to wear a reflective vest has been passed, the guilt or co-payment for the accident may be charged to a pedestrian who will ignore the order and be struck. However, if the deduction is made at the side of the illuminated road, the lack of flares will not matter to the police. The insurer to lower the value of the compensation paid to the deducted pedestrian, however, can use this circumstance.

The police are calling for caution on the road

Deteriorating road conditions require more caution and increased concentration from drivers. Police officers call for caution on road at night, wearing a reflective clothing to keep visible will be good for your safe.

 

Slippery surfaces, fogs, rainfall, or local snowfall means that drivers should take their feet off the gas. In these conditions, the visibility drops and the braking distance is significantly longer. That is why it is so important to adjust the speed to the prevailing conditions and check the technical condition of your car. Changing tires, checking the condition of the wipers, lights and braking system should be mandatory activities that we will perform before winter. It is very important to take care of the appropriate field of view. Remember to clean the glass and mirrors of our car from ice and other dirt.

 

A special appeal is made by the police officers to pedestrians not to go directly in front of an oncoming vehicle. Even at the pedestrian crossing, you must first make sure that the driver will manage to slow down. Every pedestrian should also remember about his safety and take care to be visible. A reflective vest, key chain, headband, or even a flashlight will make it easier to see the oncoming driver when moving on a poorly lit road.

 

The police remind you of the obligation to use reflective elements by pedestrians traveling on roads outside the built-up area – the use of reflective material improves visibility and thus safety.

Policemen were interested in lights and reflectors

Required bicycle bikes – mainly lights and reflective vests, or reflective pedestrian elements. Police officers who worked on the roads in cooperation with Besip monitored all this. The reason is still high numbers of pedestrians or cyclists who are dying on Czech roads.

 

“With the dwindling daylight, such preventive actions will be more frequent,” said Czech TV editor Martin. The police officers set off on their journeys in the early hours of the morning, when they did not yet. On the outskirts of Lionel, they were interested in how pedestrians or cyclists are seeing along the busy road to work.

 

“We stopped and checked two dozen cyclists and we had all the equipment in addition to one. They had front and rear lights as well as reflectors in spikes, “police spokesman Pavli said. They are also interested in pedestrians who have to wear a reflective tape for better visibility. Contribute to greater recognition of pedestrians and cyclists by BESIP. “We give reflection accessories for pedestrians and cyclists,” Olomouc coordinator told BESIP.

 

Police officers plan similar checks for other days in other locations in the Olomouc Region. According to experts, it makes sense – most of the fatal accidents to cyclists or pedestrians will happen early in the morning or in the evening. Last year 4226 traffic accidents were reported in the Czech Republic where 68 cyclists were killed, 394 were seriously injured, and 3138 were slightly injured. Cyclists have caused 783 accidents and almost a third of them were under the influence of alcohol, according to the Interior Ministry.

 

This is why the ministry, in co-operation with BESIP, rejects a senate proposal that required cyclists in reflective clothing on local roads not to be fined for driving under the mild influence of alcohol. The government will not support such a proposal as expected in Parliament. The Ministry of Transport refused the abolition of zero tolerance for alcohol under wheelchairs because “an alcohol-based cyclist is not only dangerous to himself but also a major danger to other road users.” The Interior Ministry also rejected the proposed reduction in the fine for cycling under the influence of alcohol from the current 2500 to 20,000 crowns to a maximum of 500 crowns.