According to the police, up to 50 serious accidents with pedestrians, each year in Salzburg could be avoided if people had dressed in lighter colors or even wore a safety vest. Even a small reflector on clothing can be seen from 150 meters away.
Seen or not seen – this question can make the difference between life and death on the road during the cold season when the days are short and the nights long. It was not until mid-November that a dark-clad pensioner was overlooked by a moped driver and fatally injured.
According to the Salzburg traffic police, between 30 and 50 accidents per year could be avoided with appropriate clothing and behavior that is adapted to the dark. “Serious accidents don’t always happen, but there are many near-accidents and evasive maneuvers, which in turn lead to accidents. The decisive factor for me is that these accidents could be avoided very easily if one behaved accordingly,” says Friedrich Schmidhuber of the Salzburg traffic police.
Dressed in dark: visible up to 25 meters away
According to traffic experts, pedestrians dressed in dark clothing can be seen up to a maximum of 25 meters in time at night. Light-colored clothing or neon colors barely double this distance, but only with reflective material are passers-by up to 140 meters visible.
Police: Older people have some catching up to do
While this has worked for young people for years, adults have some catching up to do here. “Older people in particular massively underestimate this risk. Also, dark clothing is often worn, which makes the situation even worse,” says Schmidhuber. Often pedestrians would not be aware of the fact that outside a local area it is mandatory to use the left side of the street or, if available, the banquet.
Tip: light-colored clothing, safety vests, warning tapes
According to the police, it would be easy to be seen by drivers even in the dark. The police recommend consciously wearing light-colored clothing in the dark months and putting reflective vests or reflective tapes on the upper arms.