As of July 1, a warning vest is required in Germany. There must be a safety vest in every vehicle. Shortly before the deadline, however, 42 percent of the drivers know nothing of the new regulation, as a recent survey of the portal. Of the over 2,000 respondents, three quarters of the female (75%) and two thirds of the male vehicle owners (69%) already have a safety vest. However, more than every fourth has to be retrofitted (28%).
One reason for the poor interim balance could be that 41 percent of respondents consider the warning vest to be unnecessary. This could avenge soon, however, because who has no warning vest in the car from July 1 can be imposed a fine of 15 Euros. And those who do not wear reflective vests at an accident site even risk their insurance cover.
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The red, yellow or orange vests, which have been required in other EU countries for years, are available on the Internet or at Dakar. But also many petrol stations offer warning vests. Attention: The vest must comply with the standard DIN EN 471 or the EN ISO 20471: 2013.
In a joint test of “Auto Bald” with the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Statutory Accident Insurance (IFA), it was found last year that some of the 13 tested vest ages did not meet the requirements.
Four of the tested West – from Aral – did not meet the German standard because of small reflex material or poor reflectors and received the grade “deficient.” At 10 Euros, Aral’s protective clothing was also the most expensive.
With “sufficient” and therefore likewise not to be recommended are the west of Calf and A.T.U. The “good” rating, on the other hand, was awarded six times, including the protective clothing from ADAC, Shell, Leona and Obi. Their reflex strips were properly positioned, large enough, and emitted sufficient light. The warning vest from Bauhaus was the only one that even got the grade “very good”. Available for 3.50 Euros, the test winner was also priced in the middle.