In the dark season pedestrians and cyclists are particularly at risk. Special, reflective clothing makes them more visible – and increases their safety on the streets.
Bright clothes alone are not enough to make pedestrians and cyclists more visible in autumn and winter. Anyone traveling in dark or bad weather should wear clothing with incorporated retro reflective and fluorescent materials.
The German Traffic Safety Council (DVR) recommends highly visible clothing in winter for all the safety of all traffic users: “This ensures early detection by other people and avoids accidents,” says DVR spokesman Sven Researcher.
Light clothing is visible on the street in the headlamp of a car up to a maximum of 40 meters. “With reflective elements, the distance increases up to 150 meters,” says Radish. While retro reflective materials reject the light directed to them, fluorescent material is charged by light.
When buying, consumers should ensure that the garments comply with the European EN standards (ISO 20471 for clothing and warning vests). Alternatives to clothing with incorporated elements are special reflector straps, which are worn on the arms or legs. Reflective clothing can often be found in sports shops, the reflector racks, for example, in the bicycle trade.
“If you are traveling with your children or grandchildren, the little one should be equipped with reflectors on clothes or additional reflector straps,” advises Reducer. Also prams and buggies should make parents visible – for them, for example, there are LED lamps for the baby carriage handles, as well as luminous reflective stickers or light strips for the frame. Once again, according to the DVR recommendation, the buyers should orient themselves towards EN-certified products.