The Road Safety wants to make mandatory the fluorescent bands and reflective tape on children’s school bags.
Eighty-six children less than 12 years were killed on the roads of France in 2015 and 4295 were injured. Facing this poor record, the Road safety calls for a general mobilization through a new campaign “Zero children killed on the roads of France.”
Among the measures unveiled by the association to stop this mortality is the requirement to include fluorescent strips and reflective heat transfer tape on all school satchels. When night falls early, the children would be well visible at 150 meters instead of 30 meters. “With any law, safety devices would be widespread, fairly large and mostly well placed in front, behind and to the side,” said the Parisian Anne, President of the Association Road Safety.
“A third of young people killed on the journey from home to school”
This measure was inspired by the German model where 20% of the area of school backpacks is covered with reflective tape, and the schoolchildren are required to wear safety vest on way to school. The device seems to work: there are proportionately fewer children killed on German roads in France.
Philippe, the accident specialist children in accident Laboratory of Biomechanics and analysis of human behavior (Lab), “all we can do to reduce child mortality is worth taking.”Especially that “a third of young pedestrians injured or killed on the road is on the home-school journey.”
Secure management of all pedestrian crossings
The Road safety also requires a whole lot of other measures including a VAT rate of 5.5% for car seats against 20% today and generalization of pedestrian collision avoidance systems on all new vehicles.
It also wants a speed limit to 30 km/h around schools, gyms, parks and public gardens and secure management of all pedestrian crossings with zebra and a stop line one meter before passing. Also the government would give each schoolchild a reflective vest for free in order to enhance the safety awareness.