It is a tool to protect cyclists or pedestrians. In the dark, in the fog or in the dark it is supposed to make them visible to the driver. This is to protect their lives. But most reflective tapes do not work the way they are. With extensive control, the CIA totally failed.
The results of this year’s Czech Trade Inspection (CTI) control action are sad – 90% of the checked reflective tapes and reflective vests were not right! The inspectors reviewed 37 types of reflective tapes and 33 law violations found.
CTI has focused on reflective tapes to protect consumers when moving under reduced visibility on the roadside or on the edge of the road in a place not illuminated by public lighting. The inspectors checked the fulfillment of the essential requirements – specifically photometric requirements according to the relevant standard, labeling requirements, including CE marking and providing additional product information.
The vast majority of products on the Czech market did not work. “Most of the deficiencies related to the CE marking and the retro-reflective properties, almost 90% of the controlled reflective tapes failed,” says CTO spokesman.
Retailers and distributors of dangerous products in most cases violated the law and received 27 fines of CZK 317,000. At the same time, the CTI banned the sale of non-conforming reflective materials or ordered the removal of the identified shortcomings.
At the same time, the Inspectorate recommends that consumers purchase such reflective tapes that have mandatory particulars such as the CE marking, manufacturer and product identifiers. Controls revealed that products meeting these statutory requirements at the same time had retro-reflective properties.