Tag: reflective elements

Northwave winter jacket uses reflective fabric

Summer really starts and Northwave is already wearing a new winter coat. The Italian brand is rightly proud of the new DV stretch membrane in the Arctic Reflective Jacket.

 

After a hopefully fantastic bike summer, you have to prepare yourself again for a cold Belgian winter. Northwave wants to respond to this through a new collaboration with event fabrics. The Italian manufacturer will use the latest event membrane technology, called DV stretch, in the Northwave Arctic Jacket, which will be on the market in October.

 

The Arctic Jacket offers protection and comfort thanks to the windproof DV stretch membrane, which is used in the three-layer BP Puma laminate from ITTTAI, which is exclusively able to make fabrics with DV stretch technology. The BP Puma laminate covers the entire front and back of the jacket to provide good protection from the wind, to breathe and to stay elastic. The reflective fabric can stretch 35% and return completely to the original state. In addition, Northwave uses Lombardi fabric, a very soft and open material, under the arms to better match the body.

 

DV stretch uses event’s Direct Venting (DV) technology, which means that the membrane is air-permeable and has a porous structure so that heat and sweat can pass directly through the membrane. Moreover, DV stretch is windproof and water-repellent. “This combination of benefits is ideal for aerobic sports such as cycling,” says Chad Kelly, Global Product Manager at event fabrics. “Cyclists generate a lot of heat and moisture that has to be removed quickly by clothing, but they also need essential protection from wind and weather.”

 

The Arctic Jacket is in the ‘Be Visible Be Safe’ collection from Northwave, which is designed for maximum visibility and safety, which is especially important when the days are getting shorter and it is faster dark, foggy or rainy. There are also reflective Pixel details in the jacket. This unique technology allows reflective elements to be printed directly onto the fabric so that a larger part of the jacket can reflect. They are also softer than normal reflective elements. They are in this jacket on the neck collar, the sleeves and back.

Required Reflective vest: Can Pedestrian Accident is the culprit

Do you know that even a pedestrian can be found responsible? We looked in detail at what brought about the introduction of mandatory reflective elements.

Since February 20 this year, pedestrians have a new duty to use outside of the village for reduced visibility of reflective elements. As the traffic police chief says, the first statistics suggest that fatal accidents outside the village in the dark have actually fallen. However, the amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which deals with reflexive elements, has brought another dimension to the view of night walks with pedestrians.

 

The share is common

“The obligation to wear reflective elements actually caused a balance between the driver and the pedestrian. A legal situation has arisen where not only the driver has to deal with driving, but the pedestrian has a duty to be seen, “says lawyer Jan Ferny. Before the amendment to pedestrians was effective, the driver was the primary culprit for the police and, therefore, the prosecutor. “I also experienced cases of accusations when the pedestrian walked on the wrong side of the road, he was darkly dressed and even under the strong influence of alcohol,” adds Jan Ferny.

 

Experts agree that today, when investigating traffic accidents, it focuses not only on drivers but also on the potential share of the pedestrian. “We have a duty here, and it is judged whether a pedestrian had a reflective element or not. If a chauffeur with a reflective element had seen it, there may be situations where the driver is fully developed. This was a rare occurrence of a collision with a pedestrian, “Jan Ferny continues.

 

Forget insurance benefits

In some cases, the pedestrian may be found partially or completely guilty. In addition, this can be reflected in the insurance benefit. “It always depends on the investigation of the accident by the police on the spot. It can happen that the insurer of the pedestrian will not be harmed, because he can make an accident himself, “says Jeri. Allianz also agrees: “There is always a general obligation to prevent damage. There is also the possibility of curtailing. In each individual case, we examine whether the element was used, how it was placed, and what its reflective surface was, “he says, pointing to other pitfalls. “It is typical that pedestrians have a reflective vest from behind, which can be useless if they go in the opposite direction. Then it is considered as complicity and guilt – and it can be even one hundred percent, “says Bearn and shows the case from practice.

 

I will see you in five years

“My mother with a stroller went in the dark outside the village and did not wear any reflective elements, and she went to the wrong side, the right side. There was a ninety car coming from behind. The driver registered it for thirty meters, making it 25 meters in a second reaction time before making an evasive maneuver to avoid it. However, the car was running in the opposite direction, so there was a frontal collision with tragic consequences. It is quite clear that the woman is at least a part of the guilt. Probably, at least part of the costs will be recovered – and it can go up to millions of crowns, “Alan Alan describes the possibility that even the amount can be recovered from pedestrians.

 

According to Bearn, the investigation of similar accidents will be very demanding, and will often have to take place in investigative trials. It is now common practice for the traffic police chief that the courts determine the percentage of responsibility of the parties. However, with the new law, a specific interpretation and judicial practice is still awaited. “In a myriad of situations, the walker says he did not expect reduced visibility, or that it is not a bad outlook. This will be the assessment of the experts and, at the same time, the interpretation of the courts. I assume, therefore, that it will take at least five years before we can say how it is, “adds Jan Ferny.

 

Three questions for Tomas, Chief of Traffic Police

How did the February change of the Reflective Obligations Act sign on accident statistics? In general, pedestrians have experienced year-on-year fall in accidents. Over the past ten months, 82 have died, about fourteen less than in a comparable period in 2015. If we only talked about nighttime, we recorded 29 killed pedestrians out of the village in 2016, 41 people in 2015. The decrease is therefore visible. Problems are, however, municipalities where more than eleven more victims have been in sight this year – 37. I would like to emphasize that both sides underestimate the situation here. Drivers do not drive at a speed so they can safely stop. On the other hand, pedestrians should remember that not always the driver sees and records their intention to go. Therefore, they should not suddenly come in front of the vehicle.

 

Do you know how many people killed outside the village have used reflective elements?

We report each accident to the log, but we do not have statistics. However, after the end of the year we will assess how many people the regulation has violated.

 

You advised that during November you would focus on reflective elements. How did it end up?

We surveyed 6,152 pedestrians throughout the Czech Republic, of whom more than five thousand were in places where they were obliged to use a reflective material. Fourteen percent of the regulation did not comply. Some cases were solved by agreement. While we initially talked to pedestrians and gave out the reflective tapes, which we continue, this time, because of the increased risk associated with the winter season, we went to fines. We believe that the length of time that the reflective tapes are being talked about is long enough. We chose about fifty thousand fines.

 

 

Will forest animals also wear reflective elements?

When we talk about human rights (see the newly revised foreign policy concept of the government), I have been feeling for a long time that motorists have the rights somewhat more than they have non-motorists, just need to care the road safety.

 

I will remind you, for example, how long green pedestrians have been lit on the traffic lights and how long they have been in the car, even though they are moving incomparably faster, and it would take less time for them. On the other hand, the tendency to interrupt pedestrian crossings, say, for the good of the infantry, for their greater security. It is only occasionally that someone tells you that those transitions are simply too much and that it disturbs the flow of traffic. Which is wrong, while walking a hundred yards from the aborted crossing is normal and desirable? After all, there is more to “fresh” air.

 

Perhaps it would be enough to reduce the speed

The latest pedestrian good was approved by the government in the form of one provision of the current amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which is now heading to the Chamber of Deputies. I am imposing on it the obligation to wear reflective elements on the garment (the specific shape of the element is not prescribed) if the visibility is outside the village on a road without pavements. Certainly, those abusive non-automobiles are few and the reflective elements purely technically at least some of their protections are, even though they are not wiped before being swept away.

 

On the other hand, however, there should be an obligation, even a financial one (however, if buying a reflective tape for a relatively comprehensible amount, if not counting the non-punitive financial penalties in case of disobedience) to someone who is less of a source of danger, who is by far the greater threat. As more logical, it would seem to me, for example, to provide a type of bad visibility that the driver is obliged to reduce the speed of the road on the road outside the village so that any pedestrian conflict can be avoided or at least minimized. Moreover, on the road, not only the pedestrian but also the wildlife can suddenly appear under the described conditions. She is even more likely. Will she be required to wear a reflective tape? By the way, it is not quite a joke, in one of the Nordic countries they say they intend to use a reflective color to refer to wildlife reindeer.

 

It looks like this as a punishment for a non-motorist for the fact that he even allows himself to move along the road, even for poor visibility. However, the same right to use road communications, unless explicitly forbidden by applicable law, has both a motorist and a pedestrian or cyclist. I emphasize that the right is equal, that the automobile is not bigger, it is not preferred. The right to freely use public roads is perhaps even the oldest.

 

I have my horses, the duty to clean the pine trees

I am not a lawyer, so I can be mistaken. But I believe that if someone insists that moving along the road, surrounded by material tracts, which is multiplied by the speed of movement, becomes a potentially fatal hazard for unintentional (and armored) road users, it should be primarily he, who should be subject to risk-mitigating obligations to slaughter those unwholesome. Lapidary speaking, somebody gets a common, he does not have the right to expect him to clean his horse lobelia after his walk – no matter how much he can slip even after the horse’s lobelia and make a good charge.

 

 

Police want to order reflective vests for pedestrians

While the number of dead drivers is falling rapidly, pedestrians are getting more and more. In November, they accounted for more than a third of the victims of accidents. Police officers want the pedestrian rules to be tightened – perhaps to wear reflective clothing. What other changes can be expected on the roads in 2011?

 

Taking a blue coat and going out in the dark over the road to the next village can be likened to a suicide attempt. According to the BESIP study, the driver of a moving car sees you in such an outfit only 18 meters behind you. She has no chance to react. At eighty-kilometer speed, it needs a minimum distance of at least two times. While the number of dead drivers in the Czech Republic has fallen sharply in recent years, there is more and more victims among pedestrians. Every fifth dead on the road is a pedestrian. Nearly two-thirds of them die outside the village.

 

November’s statistics are even scarier. Of the total number of 82 deaths in traffic accidents, there were 33 pedestrians. “This number is one of the last reasons why we will require the introduction of mandatory reflective vest for pedestrians next year, at least outside of the community,” said Leo Trail, head of traffic police.

 

In order for the driver to be able to react in the dark in the black, blue or even red dress in time, he would only have to go for forty. On the other hand, with the reflective elements on the clothes, one can see on the road at 200 meters. Police officers would like to have the obligation to wear reflective vests or elements in the amendment to the Road Act, which is already in the Chamber of Deputies, and the MPs should definitely vote on it at the first meeting in 2011.

 

However, MEPs do not have a common view on the proposal. “I think it would help to reduce the number of accidents on lower class roads,” the deputy chair of the Chamber of Deputies agrees. “I would support everything that brings people to reason, it is absolutely incomprehensible to me that pedestrians are not doing anymore, especially they should think about themselves,” adds Interior Minister Raked John.

 

Most MPs who have addressed MF DNES would focus on massive campaigns. “At every opportunity for pedestrians to recommend reflective elements,” says Finance Minister. “I walked for three miles to a pub in Belching and I wore a flashlight,” he adds. “Certainly, it would be good for people to have such a recommendation, but I can hardly imagine that this would be the duty of the law, how would she force it?” asks the deputy.

 

It is the issue of enforceability that most unknown to politicians. And also whether the “invisible” pedestrian on the road threatens only himself or the driver. And experts are also wondering if this would bring even greater aggression on Czech roads. “Reckless drivers might find a new excuse for them – if they collided with someone, they would have argued that they had no reflective elements,” says transport expert Petra Moos. Some carmakers already have their luxury cars equipped with night-vision equipment that the pedestrians themselves warn about.

 

The police will fix your ticket for the lack of glare after dark

Do you remember the obligation to wear reflective clothing after dark? The police control compliance with this provision and give away subsequent mandates.

 

Police officers from the Silesian road have taken to the pedestrians who, after dark, do not have any reflections in the un-built area. On Thursday evening, the inhabitants of the Zawierci podia found out about it. Similar shares will also be carried out in other places. Three patrols in the area checked if pedestrians know the rules. Such actions are very important, because many pedestrians forget about reflections. Accidents involving pedestrians are very common. In nine months, as many as 56 pedestrians were killed on the roads. In 2014, it was 68 people. Recall that from August 31, 2014, pedestrians are obliged to wear retro-reflective elements in non-built-up areas. People often forget about it. In just two hours of action, the patrol stopped three people. Everyone claimed that they do not wear flares, because they only went out for a moment.

 

I do not have any reflections, because I rarely walk at this time – one of the women, who was stopped by a police patrol, explained. Each of these people was visible only from a few meters away. The reflectors, on the other hand, ensure the visibility of a pedestrian from several dozen meters. The police were merciless and consistently punished pedestrian mandates. Recall that the mandate for the lack of glare is a minimum of 50 zlotys. The cost of the reflection is about 7 zlotys. On Thursday, police officers also handed out safety vests and reflective bands.

 

 

Protect children safe return to school

On Saturday, police officers from the District Police Headquarters together with the Carrefour supermarket and firefighters, reminded children about the basic traffic rules and general safety rules.

 

The beginning of the school year is an opportunity to give children and teenagers a few comments on safety. After the summer vacation, the youngest often forget about the basic safety rules, as well as about the dangers lurking on them every day.

 

That is why on Saturday, September 2, police officers command together with fire brigade officers and the Carrefour supermarket, on the square in front of the store, carried out an action under the slogan “Safe return to school.” Police officers explained to the children how to behave during the road to school and how to cross safely the road or rail crossing. The officers reminded about safety rules while cycling, in the car, and on the bus. They also observed children and adolescents against contacts with strangers. A very important element enhancing road safety is wearing retro-reflective elements, which was called by law enforcement officers during conversations with students and their parents. During the action, children received pendants, vests and other reflective elements, which the Carrefour market gave to them – reports the younger Bowen, spokeswoman for the policemen.

 

A big attraction for the youngest was the display of equipment that is on the equipment of the police and fire brigade and the possibility of entering the wheel of a police car or fire engine.

– We hope that thanks to such actions, children will be able to avoid situations posing a threat to their health and life and behave in an appropriate manner in crises – sums up a police spokesperson.

 

It is worth noting that from Monday, social prevention officers began a series of meetings with the youngest students and teachers about staying safe while walking on the road, passing through belts, wearing reflective vest and other situations related to the road to school.

 

 

Instead of a mandate – a reflective vest

In the un-built area before dawn, with very bad road conditions, they moved without lighting or reflective elements. Exceptionally due to new regulations, they did not receive a mandate from police officers, and for the improvement of visibility and safety, reflective vests. Let us take care of your safety. Any reflective element or vest can not only save your health but often also life.

 

Police from the road near Krakow and Rigor before dawn with very bad road conditions, dense fog, revealed unprotected road users in the area, who moved without any reflective material.

Two women detained in connection with the offense revealed to police officers that they did not know about the new regulations requiring pedestrians on the way outside the built-up area to use retro-reflective elements placed in a visible place. The man, on the other hand, said he had forgotten to take the reflection from home and forgot to turn on the lighting in his bike.

 

Exceptionally, unprotected participants of the traffic did not receive tickets from the police officers and after receiving the instructions, they received reflective vests. Police officers received reflective elements as part of the campaign “Be visible – be safe!”

 

Reflectors and safety vests for toddlers

For the sake of the life and health of the youngest inhabitants of the Kielce district, the Kielce began on Wednesday 6 December in the City and Community of Moravia with a reflective educational campaign during which the podia self-government will transmit to the first of the county schools 2,000 safety vests within a few days.

 

In this year’s edition of the Safe program, the Kielce podia took first place and won the award. – The Chapter appreciated the preventive undertakings carried out by the podia, covering activities in the area of road traffic and safety in public places. We have allocated the prize of PLN 15,000 for the purchase of vests and reflective braces. In autumn and winter the pedestrians who bear the most tragic consequences of accidents – says the Kielce.

 

Vests that improve safety will be given to first graders from primary schools located throughout the Kielce. In total, 2,000 of them were purchased and will be sent to students from 122 schools. On the first day of the action, the Kielce tsarist was present in three schools in the City and Commune – at the Primary School, at the Primary School named after Kernel in Moravia and at the School Complex in Breezing. – The aim of the “Safe” campaign is primarily to improve the safety of the youngest road users – said the tsarist. – Together with the police commander, we try to make the inhabitants aware that security is a priority issue.

 

During the action of the Kielce eldership in each school, there were police officers who brought children closer to the role of pedestrians in road traffic. The security lesson was conducted by police officers from the Traffic Department of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Kielce: senior sergeant Joanna and Sergeant. Officers reminded how pedestrians should behave while moving on the road, what should be done before we cross the pedestrian crossing and what influence on our safety is the use of reflective elements. From an early age, it is worth emphasizing the importance of visibility on the road. Remember that a pedestrian dressed in a dark outfit is seen by the driver of the vehicle from a distance of about 30 meters. The pedestrian, wearing reflective elements, becomes visible even from a distance of 150 meters – said Joanna.

 

The action of the Kielce eldership and the police met with an extremely positive reaction of the youngest. The first girls were very satisfied with the prepared attractions. As they said, they learned to move safely along the way and wear reflective vests. The meeting in Moravia was also attended by the First Deputy Commander of the Provincial Police in Kielce, Inspector, and Deputy Commander of the Municipal Police in Kielce. I really want these reflective children to wear; I want you to be safe – appealed commander Arturo. The organizer of the campaign is the Kielce County Board together with the Municipal Police Headquarters in Kielce. Reflective Vests – bear the county logo; will be handed over by all members of the District Board in Kielce for first grade children on 6-13 December 2017.

 

 

Cyclists will have new safety rules to respect

Bicyclists will have to observe new traffic rules for road safety, soon the normative act that foresees them coming into force on Saturday. In fact, some of the road traffic bans have been slightly mitigated, and the act sets out how children under the age of seven can be carried on a bicycle.

 

Bicyclists will have to observe new traffic rules, starting this Saturday. Government Decision no. 965/2016, which will enter into force on January 21, 2017, and which will amend the Road Traffic Regulation, provides, in addition to numerous new regulations for car drivers, a number of important changes for cyclists.

 

On Saturday, cyclists running on public roads will be able to install on their bicycles including car audible warning systems. Whether or not we speak of a car horn, they still have the obligation to put on such a warning system on the bike. In addition, the fluorescent reflective elements placed on the wheels (the so-called “cat eye”) should no longer be orange.

 

In addition, the bicycle will no longer have to be equipped with white / yellow light and red, reflective and reflective at the back of the night, or when the visibility is reduced, according to the normative act. Now, cyclists have this obligation when traveling on public roads, regardless of the time of the day or the conditions of visibility.

 

The Act also provides a novelty for parents: Bikes will be able to carry children under the age of seven but only by an adult and provided that the bicycle is factory-fitted with a special holder or has an approved device for the transport of small ones. At present, cyclists can carry children under seven only if the vehicle is fitted with a special mount or if it is built and equipped specifically for the transport of other people. However, no reference is made to what age the bicyclist should be.

 

Finally, on Saturday, cyclists will not be allowed to circulate inside the localities where public lighting does not work or outside the locality without a reflective vest, at night or when visibility is low. Currently, the legal provisions make no mention of public lighting; the vest must be worn regardless of this condition.

 

Child safety on the way to school

The first step to improving the road safety of children on the way to school is education. And it’s not just about recipes. You also need to learn to anticipate the situation. You should go with the child several times to talk about the dangers and explain how to act in difficult moments. In addition, we must adhere to the rules themselves, because the youngest are observers, who quickly take over from us bad habits.

 

“If the baby is delivered, we always put them in the child seat. In addition, do not stop the car in inappropriate places to quickly release the child to school, “- says Maria, director of the Center for Road Safety at the Institute of Motor Transport, in an interview. Also remember that a child under 7 cannot go to school alone.

 

Parents should also take care of the right outfit for their baby, including reflective elements. As we move in the evening, we are only visible to the driver at a distance of 20 m. The reflector increases this distance even up to 150 m! When a child cycles, always have a helmet on his head.

 

Ensuring security is also a responsibility of the school and the local government. They should take care of the appropriate means of transport to bring their children to school and to train drivers and careers, hand out the reflective vest to students for visibility, as well as organize educational meetings for students.