Category: reflective fabric

Action for more traffic safety: Parents and children should be encouraged to walk together even in the dark season. The first reflective vest handed over district administrator Jorgen Muller in Enger.

At the start of the dark season, the district of Herford again distributes signal-warning vests to all three-year kindergarten children in the district – a total of about 2,500 pieces. On Friday morning, District Administrator Jorgen Muller handed over his first impetus to the Protestant Dietrich-Bonheoffer Kita. The circle wants to encourage parents and children with the action to walk in the dark season together on foot to the daycare center.

“These paths also support climate protection and make it a matter of course for children that everyday journeys are not just done in the car,” it says.

Last year the district started the campaign. “Conscious of the three-year-olds,” says Nadine Steinberg, mobility officer at the district of Herford. “We want to encourage children to get to know all types of mobility.” And not just know what it looks like in the backseat of a car. The little ones should take the vest home and not only in the daycare use. “So that they can do the daily routines.”

“The weakest road users”

With the action, the district also wanted to promote traffic safety, emphasized District Administrator Muller. The safety vests which made of reflective fabrics would help that the little ones stand out in the traffic. That was important because they were “the weakest road users”.

For the first time, the vest with reflective material was to be officially deployed a short time later, announced Julia, who runs the kindergarten together with Claudia Stevens-Maas.

For the second time in a row, the cantonal police will participate in the MADE VISIBLE campaign of the TCS, the bf and the Fund for Traffic Safety from 15 November 2018. This coincides with the twelfth issue “Day of Light” and lasts until the end of the month.

With the darker seasons and shorter days, the visibility of each road user contributes to safety. From 15th November, the date of the 12th Day of Light, the Cantonal Police will actively support the “MADE VISIBLE” campaign of the TCS, the bf and the Fund for Traffic Safety.

By the end of the month, officials in the canton’s shopping centers will ensure a preventive presence to alert as many people as possible to the issue of visibility, especially pedestrians and cyclists. In particular, the police will be present at the start of the campaign on 15 November 2018 between 15.30 and 20.30 at the Fribourg Center. The population thus has the opportunity to discover the Virtual Reality game developed by the French police force, which encourages them to adopt the right behaviors through the emotions they experience through the game.

Close to pedestrians, bus stops, etc., special attention is given to the so-called “weak” road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, to remind them that their visibility can play a protective role. Reflective fabrics on reflective bags and flyers are distributed with prevention advice.

Pedestrians, joggers

Bright clothing and reflective vests make you already visible at 140m, compared to 25m for dark clothes. The drivers will thus have more time to react.

To be seen at all times, be completely visible (360 °).

Do not fall on the road! Look for the eye contact before crossing.

bike-rider

Before getting on the bike, check the condition of the front and rear lights.

Is your bike well equipped? A white front reflector, a red rear, and orange pedals are mandatory.

Non-assertion of the entrance is the main cause of accident of cyclists; be visible all around (360 °) and show every change of direction clearly.

Laterally visible: equip the bike with reflective material for spokes or reflective tires.

Motor vehicle drivers

Before leaving, check the lights and direction indicators.

Always keep the lights, rearview mirrors, windscreen, side and rear windows clean for a better view.

Adjust your speed and lighting, day and night, weather conditions and visibility.

Turn on the light – even during the day!

Let your eyes control. A visit to the optician can save a life.

Snow and ice belong on a vehicle, neither on the windows nor on the roof.

“Poor visibility caused by adverse weather conditions and early darkness causes that pedestrians on the road are not very visible to the drivers. Therefore, using the road when difficult conditions prevail on it requires increasing attention by both pedestrians and motorists of road traffic,” police officers call.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Road Traffic Law, pedestrians who move along the road after dark outside the built-up area are obliged to use reflective materials in a manner visible to other road users. An exception is provided in the regulations, according to which a pedestrian can move outside the built-up area without retro-reflecting elements at dusk if it is on a road intended only for pedestrians or on the sidewalk.

The use of reflective elements by pedestrians, especially in autumn and winter, when it is dark early and visibility is definitely worse, can save a life.

The reflective element should be placed in such a place that it will be in the field of car lights and it would be noticeable for drivers approaching from both directions (back and front). The car dipped beam illuminates the path asymmetrically (more light is directed to the right side of the road), it is recommended to walk the left side of the road (in the opposite direction to the vehicle traffic) wearing reflectors on the right hand or leg (from the direction of vehicle movement).

Outside the built-up area, the roads usually do not have separate pavements and are mostly not lit or are poorly lit. In addition, drivers develop much higher speeds than in the built-up area, and pedestrians in dark clothes, without reflections, unfortunately, are completely invisible to the drivers. Correctly worn reflective elements can save lives by walking.

1. Wear reflections – no gadgets!

When buying a reflector, pay attention to whether the CE mark has been affixed to it, the name of the manufacturer and the type of the product and whether the instructions for use are included. The lack of these elements means that it is a gadget – not a reflection.

2. Be visible – do not cover it!

Check if the reflective elements are not covered by, for example, a scarf, bag or backpack which made by reflective fabric.

3. You care for health – be an example!

Do you like to run? Use reflective elements.

4. You love – take care of safety!

Make sure your loved ones are visible on the road and use reflective vests.

5. Live – think!

Do not enter the road directly in front of a moving vehicle, including a pedestrian crossing. Wear reflective elements.

The days are getting shorter and it gets dark again sooner. Thus, the danger for pedestrians and cyclists in the road traffic to be overlooked. Bright clothing and reflective materials can increase visibility even at dusk, thus preventing accidents.

Especially at dusk but also in fog or rain, colors and details are less visible to the eye. So pedestrians or cyclists with insufficient light can be quickly overlooked. Even light clothing helps to be noticed sooner. It is even earlier recognized by the wearing of reflective materials such as reflectors, reflective vests, etc. because they illuminate very brightly by illuminating the car’s light even at a greater distance.

With the campaign “Make yourself visible in traffic”, the state police and the commission for accident prevention want to draw attention to this self-protection of the weaker road users. In addition, caps with reflective fabric will be delivered this year.

Children from the AWO autumn vacation already knew very well. They wear reflective backpacks, have reflective fabrics on their clothes and glowing pendants. This often gives them a lot of precedence over the elderly. Police chiefs of commission Joachim Tabatha and Michael Knap also stated this during their event “Safe and visible through the dark season”. For the first time, two road safety advisors shared their information with children and seniors.

The group room was filled to the last seat on Friday. In addition to the seniors from the district, the children of the AWO vacation leisure had come to hear what the traffic safety adviser of the police had tips for them. “Safe and visible through the dark season,” was the title. It was a premiere for Joachim Tabatha and his colleague Michael Knap, as they usually speak in front of children or senior citizens, but not before both.

So the children were allowed to tell first what they already know about safety in traffic and in the dark. And what was there surprised Joachim Sabbath, because the offspring already knew well? Already in the kindergarten, they have learned to cross the street properly and to provide with reflectors for good visibility. For while a pedestrian or cyclist with reflective clothing is already seen in 140 m distances, one recognizes a brightly dressed person only in 40 m distance and a dark-clad person even in 25 m distance, so that motorists often cannot stop on time.

But many seniors do not like to go out in the dark and therefore do not attach much importance to their visibility. A risk, as the traffic safety consultants, clarify. Around one-third of all accidents happen at dusk or in the dark and this can be the case in the winter in the late afternoon. Sight decreases very much in the dark, especially in old age. This increases the accident risk for pedestrians by three times in the dark, as they are often not seen at all or too late.

Even for adults, there are easy ways to provide the clothing with reflective material. The chief police officers presented jackets, reflective vests, an integrated flashlight, bicycle helmets, and a filament to sew into clothing. All guests received reflective shopping bags as well as pendants that can be attached to handbags. So equipped with young and older people are better seen in the twilight and darkness and are therefore safer on the road.