For eighteen months, pedestrians outside the village have to wear reflective vest. Do they do it? In addition, how did it show up in statistics?
It will be a year and a half from Sunday, when the pedestrians should start shining on our roads. On February 20, the following formula was added to the Road Traffic Act. “If a pedestrian is traveling outside the village in a low visibility on the roadside or on the edge of a road in a place not illuminated by public lighting, he is obliged to wear elements of retro reflective material placed so as to be visible to other road users. ”
It is just before 9 o’clock when we pass the sign indicating the end of Prague. We decided to see how the Czechs adhere to the law. True, the main season of all kinds of reflectors, straps and strips for clothes are gloomy autumn and winter. The law, however, applies without exception to the end of a fudgy summer. Is it dark or not? That is what we call when we are coming from Redoing towards – we meet a completely unlighted runner. Legislation reduces visibility by clearly distinguishing other vehicles, persons, animals or objects on the road. It is not just darkness, dusk or dawn, but also heavy rain, snow and mist.
From a statistical point of view, the new regulation looks promising. Perhaps for the first year of validity, the number of pedestrians killed in the night outside the village fell from 37 to 31, which is almost a fifth decline. It has certainly played a role in a massive communication campaign, warning about the possible consequences of invisible night walks. The parts of reflective tape are more prominent: “After the effectiveness of the law, we recorded a total of 24 killed pedestrians under reduced visibility. In seventeen cases, the pedestrian did not have a reflective element, “shocked Petra from the Police Presidium.
“Yes, I know I should have a glittering tape. I wear it in the winter, but it is not even dark now, “says the cross-country skiing we meet on the edge of the Alaska. At least he is dressed in a distinctive red shirt – but it would not help before the law. “After the introduction, we have advised that we will especially explain to pedestrians the meaning of this duty. At the same time, we warned that with the approaching end of the year, which is most risky for pedestrians, police would also be faced with block penalties for failing to comply with this duty, “explains Haven in safety vest.
Dangerously, however, not only pedestrians, but also drivers, behave in the dark. “Classical halogen headlamps are about a hundred meters long, so they have to adjust their speed. If we do not, we often do not have enough room for an adequate response. At the last minute, we are unable to react, “says Bezique chief Martin.