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The required elements for bike riding

The use of bicycle lighting, reflectors, and properly visible clothing is necessary for safe cycling both during the day and at night, because by determining our position on the road, we become noticeable to other road users. Cyclists “invisibility” increases the chance of being hit by, for example, a car, which is why every reasonable cyclist should be aware of the fact that being visible is the same as being safe on the road. It is also obvious that thanks to the lights when driving after dusk we will bypass dangerous obstacles. So what lighting to choose, where to put reflectors and is visible clothing only the one in bright colors?

At the beginning of the considerations regarding bicycle lighting, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the parameters that define them. Looking at the lamps of individual manufacturers, we will notice the information on the number of lumens (lm) or lux (lx) that characterize given light sources. These concepts often appear interchangeably as if they mean the same. Of course, this is not the case and due to the lack of knowledge in this aspect, you can be unpleasantly surprised. With the displacement of ordinary light bulbs and their replacement with modern LEDs, cotton wool was replaced with lumens. A lumen is a unit of measure for luminous flux, that is, it determines the light output of the lamp. Lux is, in turn, a unit of light intensity and determines what luminous flux falls on one square meter of surface.

Daytime driving

Usually, when buying bicycle lighting, customers wonder how much the lamp they are interested in shines and how long the battery that powers it is working. These criteria are the most accurate, only that they usually refer to driving at dusk. However, before we start pedaling in the dark, it is worth considering how to ensure safety during daytime driving.

According to the regulations, the bicycle does not have to have lighting with normal visibility during the day, only reflectors that determine the position are sufficient. Nevertheless, lamp manufacturers offer us a wide selection of daytime running lights. Why this overprotection related to the need to spend another PLN? The offer of companies in this area is motivated by an analogy to the daytime running lights used in cars and motorbikes, and therefore the decrease in the number of accidents. Of course, every cyclist has the right to decide for themselves in this matter whether the above-mentioned statistics appeal to him, but solutions that manufacturers use, such as headlight amplification or uneven flickering and different intensity of the rear light are very interesting and probably helpful. If you decide to use bicycle lighting for daytime riding, you should choose, first of all, the brightest rear lamp flashing unevenly and a relatively brightly lit front lamp, which will also be equipped with a flashing mode. Front lighting with power over 100 lm is sufficient for driving during the day, while at the rear it is worth to arm yourself with a minimum of 20 lm. It is worth noting that the lamps are mounted in the right places and at the right angle, so that they shine in the right direction, towards approaching cars, and that they do not dazzle other road users.

Fluorescent clothing

Every cyclist should be at heart to be visible on the road during the day, by wearing appropriate clothing. During the day, fluorescent colors work best. This is because the sun’s rays ‘react’ with fluorescent materials and give them a glow effect. It should be remembered that clothing in so-called Fluo colors without sunlight just isn’t effective. I am aware that not all cyclists are lovers of clothing brightness. For lovers of two wheels, which are closer to subdued colors, it is recommended to use fluorescent accents on moving parts of the body (legs) or outfit colors other than black. It is worth using the contrast method in this respect because any color that makes us stand out a little bit on the road will make us be noticed.

Night riding

While during the day, in conditions of normal visibility, the law does not require cyclists to install front and rear lights, after dark, as well as front and rear reflectors, are mandatory equipment of the bicycle. The lighting should be strong enough to make us visible to other road users from at least 150 meters.

The choice of a light source to pedal after dark should be adapted to the type of ride. So if you drive mainly around the city lit with lanterns, then you do not need lamps that have 500 lm of power. All you need is inexpensive LED lighting from leading manufacturers, whose power when it comes to the front lamp reaches approx. 150 lm, and at the back above 18 lm.

For people who are passionate about road riding, sunset does not necessarily mean the end of the fun. It is best to plan a journey on a route that you know very well, so as not to be surprised by a hole in the road. It is also worth buying two lights for both the front and rear of the bike. Then, not only that we ensure excellent visibility, but we will also protect ourselves in the event of a failure or battery depletion in one of the light sources. For road riding, you should choose front lights that emit focused light. Both in the city and outside it, above all, the rear light should flicker to attract drivers’ attention even more than the steady light. Also, it is good to buy lighting in shape and size other than a round, small spot. In the front, we can also afford a flashing mode, if it wasn’t a strobe mode, which just often irritates other traffic participants. Reflectors will also be a wise choice. Of course, I do not mean the obligatory ones: front and rear, but additionally on wheels, for example. Although they may not look professional, they also ensure the visibility of the cyclist from the side.

Lighting for driving after dusk in the field

Do you know by heart any protruding root on your favorite forest trail and think that it won’t surprise you anymore? Ride it after dark and you will experience amazing silence, sharpen your senses and start playing with it again. First, however, choose the right lighting. In this regard, it is worth equipping yourself with a light mounted on the steering wheel and the helmet light source will also be quite helpful. In terms of lighting on the steering wheel, it should be characterized by a minimum power of 300 lm (500 lm seems optimal), and it should also shine with diffused light. There are, of course, light sources with a much higher power, but in the case of a group night travel, this type of lamp can disturb the others who are not so equipped. It is worth noting that the strong lighting can change the mode, you can then reduce the light output to e.g. 15% of full power. When choosing the right light source for off-road driving, it’s a good idea to use a criterion for fixing it. The lighting installation should be reliable and must not loosen when driving over uneven surfaces.

The additional lamp on the helmet is designed to illuminate the road far ahead, from a different perspective than that installed on the steering wheel. It should shine in spots and not be too strong. It will also be useful in the event of a breakdown because you do not need to hold the flashlight during the fault.

Reflective clothing

Unlike fluorescent clothing, this reflective clothing works by reacting to artificial light. Therefore, the more directly the light, a reflector, acts on the reflector, the more it will reflect it. During night rides in the city or outside of it, reflective clothing is influenced by the light of lanterns or other traffic participants. In virtually all bicycle clothes you will find reflective piping, which is most often seen on the ends of sleeves or legs and a back pocket. If you are riding a bicycle in non-specialized clothing, it is worth buying reflective bands, which, for example, in addition to lighting in the dark can be used to narrow the leg so that it does not get caught in the crank. Many bicycle clothing manufacturers offer a series of reflexive items. For example, Endura produced the “Luminite” product line, which is characterized by fluo colors and large reflective tape elements. This series includes helmets, jackets, pants, backpacks, gloves and shoe covers.

Power supply

When you rarely drive after dark and darkness during a ride you suddenly do not need to get more expensive lamps that have their chargers or batteries. For city driving, lighting with batteries or a generator is enough. dynamo. However, when night driving often happens, it is more profitable to spend more money on a good set of lighting and batteries, so we will not be forced to buy batteries all the time. However, if you decide on this type of power supply, remember to check the battery level so that we have enough electricity for the next trip. In the case of modern Ni-Mh batteries, it is not necessary to fully discharge them and charge them to 100%, as was the case with the older type of Ni-Cd batteries.

Whether in the city or outside, bicycle lighting is the responsibility of every cyclist. Undoubtedly, every cyclist should also be visible on the road by wearing fluorescent elements during the day and reflective elements after dark. Until the lovers of two wheels understand that being visible means being safe, there will be tragic accidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles. Every unlit cyclist – the so-called batman, must understand the frustration of drivers, and everyone properly lit should be noticed and properly avoided.

Such a small thing, and it can save lives!

The autumn weather means that it gets dark faster, which, combined with adverse weather conditions, makes pedestrians less visible to drivers. Everyone who moves along the road at dawn or dusk should have reflective material elements on them. Visible on the road, properly lit should also be cyclists and mopeds.

It is not without reason that pedestrians are called unprotected road users. Their chances of colliding with a vehicle are small. Sometimes it’s enough to take care of your safety – walking on the sidewalks or the right side of the road, going to designated areas, or not getting on the road from behind parked vehicles. Especially now in the autumn, when darkness falls faster and faster, and road conditions are often difficult, reflectors play a very important role for our safety.

Pedestrians who travel along the road without glare, both after dusk and in the morning, are hardly visible to the driver. The driver can notice the pedestrian-only from a distance of about 40 meters, but during rainfall or fog, this distance is even smaller. If a person has reflective tape elements with them, the driver can see them from a distance of up to 150 meters. It is also important that pedestrians avoid dark clothes because they are virtually invisible to drivers. Even the smallest reflective element, such as a key lanyard or pendant, will make us more visible.

Police officers remind that from August 31, 2014 pedestrians who move along the road at dusk outside the built-up area are required to wear reflective elements in a way visible to other road users. Persons who do not comply with this provision must face legal consequences.

Not only pedestrians must remember to be visible on the road – the same applies to cyclists and mopeds. Each bike should be equipped with lighting – one white position light at the front, one red at the back and a red non-triangle reflective light. Additional protection, though traffic regulations do not impose an obligation on cyclists to use protective helmets or reflective vests, it is worth using them. By putting on a helmet, we protect our head against serious injuries, and the reflective vest makes us visible to other drivers from a greater distance.

Policemen also call on drivers to remember to limit speed and slow down in the areas of pedestrian crossings and schools and be careful in unlit places where there are no sidewalks. Let’s remember that together we are responsible for our security.

State Police offer tips for safe bicycle riding

Monday is World Bicycle Day and the Michigan State Police are reminding bicyclists to take precautions when riding this Spring and Summer.

Cyclists face a higher risk of injury and death compared to occupants of motor vehicles and each year around 2,000 cyclists are injured or killed in automobile-related crashes in Michigan.

The most common cause of death in bicycle crashes is head injuries, so police recommend wearing properly fitted bike helmets for every ride, as they are the most effective way in preventing a head injury in a crash.

Visibility plays a major role in cyclist vulnerability to accidents during the evening hours due to decreasing light, so riders are encouraged to wear light-colored or reflective clothing with reflective tape and to have at least a front light and rear reflector on their bikes.

“Bicycling is a summertime tradition in Michigan, but when riding, bicyclists need to remember they are required to obey the same rules of the road as vehicle operators,” said Community Service Trooper Ashley Simpson. “Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists – allow at least three feet clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road per Michigan law.”

A shortlist of safety precautions to consider when riding includes:

Wear a properly fitted bike helmet;

Always obey traffic signals and lights;

Always ride with traffic on the right side of the road;

Look both ways when crossing intersections and walk the bike across the street;

Watch for doors opening suddenly when riding along with parked cars;

When riding at night, wear light-colored or reflective clothing and use a light on the front and a reflector on the back of the bike.

Police also remind drivers to share the road with cyclists and to remember that Michigan law requires drivers to allow at least three feet of clearance when passing a cyclist on the road.

Over 20,000 bicyclists died in road crashes; one tiny fix could have saved them

If Faridabad-based PP Singh has his way, bicycles wouldn’t be out on roads without retro-reflective tape affixed on them. Singh sees it as an effective tool on bicycles that can help motorists identify them and prevent a crash from taking place.

It all started when he had a narrow escape with an accident on a foggy winter night six years ago. “It was coming back from work. The bicycle in front of me not only lacked illumination but was also black, making it completely impossible for me to spot it, “says Singh, an IT manager and founder of the NGO.

The incident shook Singh. The following day, he started counting the bicycles with reflectors on his way to work and back. He continued the exercise for a month and was shocked to find that a whopping 80 percent cycles on roads did not have reflectors. Since then, he and his NGO team have fixed reflective tapes on more than 1 lakh bicycles in and around Faridabad.

Bicyclists are one of the most vulnerable road users in the country. According to data by the ministry of road transport and highways, bicyclists ’fatalities surged by a whopping 37.7 percent in 2017. In fact, in the six years between 2012 and 2017, as many as 24,755 bicyclists lost their lives in road crashes.

Passionate about his cause, Singh followed it up with a letter to the WHO suggesting reflective tapes as a long-lasting solution for the safety of bicycles. The effectiveness of retro-reflective tapes was also recognized by Union minister for transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari who wrote a letter regarding the same to the minister for consumer affairs, food, and public distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan in 2014. Sadly, the idea has ‘ t yet picked up.

POOR VISIBILITY, THE KEY REASON BEHIND CRASHES

One of the major reasons for crashes involving cyclists is poor visibility. To ensure bicycles remain conspicuous to other road users, especially in the dark, many cycles have a reflector on the rear mudguard. Sadly, the safety tool on the bicycle has never been taken by the riders. “A damaged reflector doesn’t hamper the movement of a cycle, so it not replaced by most cyclists. Even an educated bicyclist doesn’t appreciate its utility and bother replacing it, “adds Singh.

In 2015, the Supreme Court committee on road safety mandated a set of 10 reflectors conforming to ISO 6742-2 standards on different spots on bicycles. The good news is that cycle manufacturers have begun complying with it. Says Abhishek Munjal, director, Hero Cycles, “A set of 10 reflectors are installed across all ranges since 2016 as cyclist safety is of paramount importance for us.”

However, road safety experts aren’t happy. “Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recommends equipping bicycles with retro-reflective tapes too. This is very much-needed as reflectors aren’t that effective, “says KK Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation.

In India, bicycles are the most popular transport for commuting to work. A whopping 13 percent or 2.62 crore Indians cycle to work, according to Census 2011.

The retro-reflective tape is a simple and effective solution for a vast chunk of population riding old bicycles. It comes with many benefits:

One, unlike reflectors, the retro-reflective tape is not susceptible to breaking and therefore does not need replacement.

Two, it offers good visibility. A bicycle with a retro-reflective tape is easily visible from 100-200 meters, a good enough distance to be spotted by a motorist. However, for increasing the conspicuity of a bicycle, BIS recommends tapes at specific locations on bicycles. “The tape should conform to BIS specifications. The one that I experimented with, on a patch of road, washed away with just one rain but another one survived extreme weather conditions, has a good hold and even after six years is intact on all bicycles, “says Singh.

Three, it is cost-effective. A high-intensity reflective sticker of size measuring 2”x 2 “costs anywhere around Rs 12-15 against Rs 25-30 for a reflector. Also, reflective tapes are now available in smaller sizes, taking away the pain of buying a complete roll of tape and cutting it proportionately.

With India just two years away from meeting its target of reducing road crashes and fatalities by 50 percent, solutions like retro-reflective tapes can go a long way in making roads safer. What it needs is a concerted last mile effort that will make reflective tape easily accessible to cyclists.

Test ad suggesting Edmonton pedestrians wear reflective tape

Suggestions from the City of Edmonton that pedestrians should wear reflective tape to avoid collisions with vehicles as the daylight hours diminish are being met with a bit of backlash.

Will Edmonton adopt “Vision Zero”?

As part of its annual “Heads Up” campaign, the City of Edmonton put out a test ad to the Edmonton Insight Community that urges pedestrians to wear reflective material or attach reflectors to themselves to avoid being struck by a vehicle.

While the ad hasn’t been rolled out on the streets of Edmonton yet, some have shared the poster on social media. It shows a pedestrian wearing reflective tape and another carrying a flashlight. The same tips can also be found on the city’s website.

“When drivers are watching for headlights, wearing a strip of reflective material or a reflector can save your life,” the city’s website reads.

The test ad is part of the City of Edmonton’s “Vision Zero” campaign, a global initiative adopted by the city that aims to have zero fatalities and serious injuries on city streets.

Troy Pavlek, a local software developer who plans to run for Ward 11 councilor in the next municipal election, said the campaign goes against everything Vision Zero hopes to achieve.

“The big problem with this campaign is it continues a sort of trend the city has put forward where the onus seems to be on the pedestrian to modify their behavior to stay safe on the streets and that is not Vision Zero,” Pavlek said.

“When we’re saying it’s behaviors that need to be modified here, that’s the problem.”

The council hopeful said Vision Zero seeks to have the traffic system change to accommodate user behaviors, not the other way around. Pavlek believes the city should do more to make traffic infrastructure safer for pedestrians and drivers.

“Lighting crosswalks, putting more pedestrian crossing lights,” he said. “Extending curbs wherever pedestrians are frequently crossing is both a cheap and very effective way at signaling to pedestrians that: ‘this is a safe and convenient place to cross,’ as well as to drivers: ‘the road narrows here so you need to slow down. ‘ ”

According to the city, a pedestrian who wears dark clothing in the dark is not visible to drivers until they are 36 meters away from the vehicle.

“No matter who is at fault, a human body is no match for a vehicle. Pedestrians have only a 10 percent chance of surviving if the vehicle that strikes them is traveling over 50 km / h, “the city’s website reads.

A spokesperson with the city said pedestrians and drivers share responsibility when it comes to preventing collisions and it was not the intention of the test ad to place blame. While changes to infrastructure are in the works, Gary Dyck with the city’s Transportation Department said change doesn’t happen overnight.

“As you might guess, changing infrastructure takes time whereas daylight is decreasing now. So if we can tell pedestrians, drivers, to look out for each other now, we might save a life, “Dyck said.

“When it comes to a collision between a pedestrian and a car, a pedestrian always loses. So it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, the pedestrian loses. So if we can remind drivers to look out for pedestrians and pedestrians to be as visible as possible, we can save lives. ”

Pavlek maintains the initiative will discourage people from walking, which he said: “flies in the face” of what the cities messaging is supposed to be.

“We’re supposed to be prioritizing active modes of transportation – walking, cycling, taking public transportation – and instead, this puts pedestrians on the same level of responsibility as cars for managing their safety,” he said.

“It makes walking something that a pedestrian has to plan to do,” he continued. “When we make it more inconvenient for people to walk places by saying, ‘if you don’t wear reflective tape or reflective vest you’re insignificant danger’ that is going to make everyone less safe because we will get fewer people walking.”

Pavlek said it’s time to stop playing the blame game and instead, rally the city for a change.

“We need to stop blaming pedestrians, stop blaming drivers and start encouraging people to work together and encourage better design,” he said.

10 Tips to Keep Your Employees Safe from Accidental Falls

5,580 people in England and Wales had accidental falls mentioned as an underlying cause of death on their death certificate in 2017, according to new research by Safety Services Direct.

The study analyzed recent ONS data on mortality from accidental falls and found 15 people on average died each day in England and Wales because of these mishaps, with many instances occurring in the workplace.

Considering these findings, Nisha Lawrence, Operations Director at Safety Services Direct, gives 10 actionable tips to help keep your employees safe against accidental falls:

“Our research shows that all ages can be affected by accidental falls, so putting necessary health and safety practices in place in the workplace to avoid injuries and potential fatalities are vital. The irony is that fall injury are some of the easiest to prevent in the workplace”.

There are simple measures that can be put into place to significantly reduce these risks, such as:

Keep walking surfaces clean and avoid cluttering

When walkways are clear, the risk of injury greatly reduces. With an unobstructed path, the chance of a person falling over an object reduces, as does the potential of a spill that could create a dangerous slipping hazard.

Lighting

A workplace with effective lighting inside and outside of the building helps reduce the chances of an accident.

By illuminating areas that are commonplace for trips and falls to happen, you can shine a light on hidden dangers. This will reduce any chance of an accident.

Signage

Using health and safety signs in the workplace that are clear and well-placed helps identify areas with potential problems.

Placing a sign that indicates a step, gap or an uneven ground brings attention to hazards and increases their awareness and attentiveness. Reflective tape can also highlight issues.

Stairs / Handrails

Stairs are one of the most common areas for falls to happen in the workplace, so additional care is required here to prevent injuries.

Keep all stairwells well-lit and clear of obstacles, ensure handrails are fitted where possible, use reflective tape used to mark the top and bottom of the stairs, and fix any unsecured carpets or rugs that you have had to remove from the stairs.

Footwear

Make sure your workforce knows clearly what attire is needed, including which safety footwear is appropriate for the conditions they are working in.

Step ladders

Providing accessible equipment such as ladders and step ladders helps employees reach heights safely. By ensuring options are available, this reduces the possibility of an employee being hurt by climbing on chairs or tables.

Manage wires

Wires that are out in the open can create obstacles for employees and the public which could cause injury. Cables should be put behind walls or under carpets, so they remain hidden.

Install all power sources, servers, internet connections in places that can be easily accessed, to avoid cables appearing along walkways.

Check the condition of the floor

Cracks and holes in the pavement on the outside should be filled in. Repairing them immediately will reduce the risk of any injury happening.

When an area is waiting to be fixed, warning signs should be placed to highlight the danger.

Keep filing cabinets and drawers closed

Everybody has to open a filing cabinet or a drawer during the day but leaving them open can lead to injury. Staff should be encouraged to ensure all drawers and cabinets are closed when not used to avoid potential dangers.

Clean up spills immediately

If a spill happens in the workplace, it should be cleaned up immediately. If certain liquids penetrate the surface, it can cause a surface to be more slippery than before after it has been cleaned up.

When a spill takes place at work, warning signs should be placed around the hazard immediately, and whilst the clean-up of the wet floor takes place. If a floor is known to be slippery anyway, this needs to be highlighted with an appropriate sign.

Cyclists and pedestrians, reflective elements can save your life in the dark

The cyclist is obliged to be illuminated at night, the pedestrian must have reflective elements outside the village. Reflective vest stands like two beers, yet we meet “invisible” pedestrians or cyclists every day. The fine is the least that can happen to them.

With short days and early twilight, you can find out more about drivers’ attention. But they are not alone on the road. Particularly in rural areas, he shares roads, often poor conditions, with pedestrians and cyclists who do not have a walkway or bike path.

How to fog lights? They can not only help but also do harm

These road users are the most vulnerable, but they sometimes behave as if they were immortal and walk or drive along the roadside in the dark without lighting or reflective material elements. It is hardly two months since we wrote about a pedestrian who was knocked down and injured to the hospital, probably because in the dark he walked on the road without lights or reflective elements.

Police statistics speak similarly. Over the past five years, more and more pedestrians have died on the road at night than in the daytime. In 2018 it was 55 by day vs. 58 at night. The largest number of pedestrian accidents, not necessarily fatal, occurred in December. November was second and January was third. And most pedestrian accidents occurred between 4 pm and 5 pm.

Reflective bracelets cost only twenty crowns. A larger and more visible reflective vest costs about 50 crowns, and when not needed, easily fits in your pocket or purse. It may not suit you, but safety on the way home is more important.

Since the beginning of 2016, ie for three and a half years, it has been instructing pedestrians to use reflective elements, paragraph 9, § 53 of Act 361/2000 Coll. on traffic on roads: “If a pedestrian is moving outside the village in poor visibility along the verge or at the edge of the road in a place not illuminated by public lighting, he/she is obliged to wear elements of retro-reflective tape material placed to be visible to other participants traffic on the roads.”

For cyclists, this is governed by paragraph 5 of § 58 of the same law: “In poor visibility, the cyclist is obliged to have a headlamp with white front light and a rear lamp with a red light while driving.”

If these obligations are not fulfilled, the pedestrian or cyclist may face a fine of up to CZK 2,500. However, this is negligible compared to what can happen to an “invisible” pedestrian or cyclist.

Pedestrians outside the village must have a reflective sign

Reflective tape or sticker is now a mandatory accessory for pedestrians moving on the road outside the village in poor visibility. This is said by the amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which only applies for a few days. Pedestrians may also be fined for non-compliance.

Fog, rain, dusk or snow blizzard can complicate drivers’ views from the car. In doing so, they must see the pedestrians in time and be able to react. If a person has dark clothes, the driver registers them up to twenty meters. The white color is visible at 55 meters. The ideal reaction distance is 200 meters. And this is guaranteed only by reflective elements. Under the amendment to the Road Act, they are now mandatory for pedestrians for reduced visibility on roads between municipalities.

The phone is Pavel Rakus, the BESIP coordinator:

“In BESIP, we would like to see that the obligation to wear reflective materials would not be reduced only by several sections outside the municipality. We would like it to be always in poor visibility. It may not be just dark, but also heavy snowfall and the like.”

Pedestrians should be aware that they are difficult to see not only in the dark but also at dusk or dawn. And everybody should buy a reflective tape for their safety.

Petra Stonišová, spokesman of the Municipal Police of Opava:

“The law does not directly determine where the reflective elements should be and how they should look. It’s good for them to be on the moving parts – on the wrist, above the ankle.”

Police officers and police officers will now check that pedestrians do not forget about reflective signs.

Pedestrians will be fined up to 2500 crowns if they are not followed. But the guards will be more aware of the education at this point and will be more alert to pedestrians that they should have these reflective elements.

Stickers, patches, pendants or hand straps are available in haberdashery or bicycle shops. Mohdy is already fluorescent substances sewn into the seams of jackets or school bags or backpacks. Reflective signs which made of reflective heat transfer vinyl certainly increase the safety of pedestrians on the road.

Pedestrians in the dim light on the roads?

Every year hundreds of pedestrians hit cars on South Moravian roads. This year, by the end of October alone, the police have registered over three hundred such cases. Fourteen people died in accidents.

This number is likely to grow by the end of the year, as winter months are the riskiest for pedestrians on the road throughout the year. “Statistics clearly show that there is an increased number of pedestrian clashes in winter. This is most evident in fatal accidents, “said Pavel Cizek, the regional coordinator of Besip for the South Moravian Region.

The increase in pedestrian accidents is due to reduced visibility in winter due to early dimming and dimness in the morning. “The combination of darkness and dusk with fog or rain makes the sighting conditions worse,” Cizek said. He added that pedestrians often contribute poor clothing to poor visibility.

For example, this year the man who crossed the main route in Brno-Svitavy paid for it. A passing driver of a man in dark clothes without reflective material elements did not register in time and knocked him down. The wounded man escaped only a slight wound.

The right choice of clothing can save lives for pedestrians on poorly lit roads. The driver recognizes a man in blue clothes only when he is about eighteen meters away. Much better visibility is in white or yellow garments, which reaches up to fifty meters.

Reflective vests or belts are the most effective means of improving visibility. “The highest quality reflective elements increase visibility up to two hundred meters. After seeing a pedestrian, the drivers have a longer time to react and thus avoid a clash, ”said police spokesman Pavel Svab.

However, poor visibility is not the only reason for caution on winter roads. “Drivers must also count on a longer stopping distance on wet, icy or snowy roads,” Swab emphasized.

In his opinion, drivers often underestimate the longer stopping distance in winter and also forget that there is a significant difference in the visibility of pedestrians on the road using the main beam and dipped beam. In the long-range, the surveillance distance is one hundred meters, while driving with dipped beams the distance is reduced by half.

Caution is needed not only for drivers but also for pedestrians. “They do not realize that they cannot move in the same way as in the summer months. Not rushing in winter pays off, “Cizek said.

About a third of all pedestrian accidents happen at crossings. According to police, people underestimate the risks and switch to red or enter the crossing directly in front of an oncoming car. “Sometimes people don’t look to the right or left and rely on them to take precedence over the transition. Sometimes I can just brake, “complained the driver Michal Benes.

Earphones are also dangerous. The pedestrian does not perceive noises from the street, such as the noise of an approaching car, the ambulance siren or the bell of a tram.

Police are trying to point out irresponsible behavior at various preventive actions. At the end of October, for example, they organized a meeting See us! in Bučovice in the Vyskov region or Firefly in Moutnice in the Brno region. Participants learned about the risks in the cold months as well as the importance of reflective tape elements that are often distributed at police events.

However, prevention also involves more frequent punishment. “Since we have not seen a major shift in their discipline, we are increasingly dealing with pedestrian violations by block fines,” explained Svab. In October alone, Brno police officers dealt with over three hundred offenses.

Brno also decided to increase safety at some crossings. The town hall newly lit twenty-five crossings. “We have identified crossings mainly near primary and nursery schools, where children go to school and after school, especially in the winter months in the dark,” explained Brno spokesman Pavel Zára.

Reflective elements will be mandatory, wear them on your feet

Pedestrians will have to wear reflective elements in the dark or fog on roads outside the village. The sanction in the law, which will now be assessed by deputies, is proposed from 1 500 to 2 500 crowns. Experts advise having glowing surfaces on your feet.

With reflective material elements that can reflect the incident light from the vehicle’s lamps, the pedestrian is visible to the driver up to 200 meters. Conversely, if the clothing is black or blue, it is only 18 meters. However, the reflective elements do not work much in fog, rain or snow.

In some countries, the mandatory use of reflective vests for pedestrians has reduced the number of deaths. Reflective elements can reduce pedestrian exposure to a fatal accident up to ten times in poor visibility. In addition to a vest, a suitable solution is a backpack or jacket with reflective elements.

“We found it better to move the light area,” says Robert Sťastný from Skoda Auto. “Reflective tape elements are better to have on the limbs we move than on the body or backpack,” he adds.

The amendment was approved by the government

In poor visibility, significant reflective elements will be mandatory outside the municipalities. The Ministry of Transport originally wanted the obligation to apply also within the municipalities, but this obligation was dropped from the proposed amendment at the Government Legislative Council.

“We should explain to pedestrians that this is for their safety, but our legislators have convinced me that we need a sanction,” said Transport Minister Dan Tok. After approval by the government, the amendment goes to parliament – read more here.

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable in November

“Every pedestrian should know that in dark clothes, he is almost invisible in the dark on the road. A driver who does not see the pedestrians in time cannot respond quickly and avoids pedestrians safely,” explains Katarína Ardová from Goodyear.

The most common clashes of cars with pedestrians occur in autumn and winter due to reduced visibility. According to statistics, November is the riskiest month for pedestrians.

Even if drivers drive only one-fifth of the total mileage at night, nearly 50 percent of all major road accidents happen at night or in the dark.