Traffic action focused on pedestrians

On 3rd and 16th November, a traffic safety event took place, which focused mainly on pedestrians. They are the most vulnerable road users and should have a responsible approach when traveling on the road.

Since February of last year, a new pedestrian duty has been imposed, and they have a reflective material when they move in low visibility (darkness, darkness, rain, fog) outside the village along the edge of the road where there is no public lighting. The element should be positioned so that it is clearly visible from the front and back for other road users and should be in the direction of the road. If the pedestrian is not marked as such, the fine may be up to two thousand crowns.

More than 40 police officers provided the service. Seven pedestrians and three cyclists were penalized, because of without wearing reflective vests. In addition, patrols have inspected two hundred vehicles and detected another 10 misdemeanors. The total amount of fines was CZK 3,300.

The cause of many tragic accidents is insufficient visibility. The visibility of pedestrians can be increased by suitably selected clothing or accessories from reflective materials. Thereby improving light contrast to the background and extending the distance to which they can be seen. The colors are best recognizable white (55 meters) and yellow (37 meters). Blue cloth is only visible at 18 meters, reflective elements up to 200 meters. To 75km / h, the driver needs about 30 meters to respond. Reflective tapes that are affordable and not at all expensive are best placed to the end of the sleeve, close to the knees and the waist level.

We choose reflective elements

For clothing and reflective vests for professional and non-professional uses, there are international standards (DIN EN340, DIN EN471). Similarly, Czech National Standard speaks about minimal reflection or the shape and distribution of reflective elements: how many, where and from what observation angles.

For example, how many bars should be and where you will see across. Even for high-quality reflective tapes, you can find the normal number (for example EN13356: 2001) as well as the category: 1 for hanging accessory, 2 for remove and 3 for folded. But for cheap imitations or accessories in plain clothes, nothing is done and the CE mark is not a certificate of quality, but only the term "China Export". There is no choice but to choose.

However, for night use, the orange or green color of the garment is not significant, but inconspicuous gray or silver surfaces that reflect the light. Warning signs are very good for maintenance. -Reflex reflectors must not be ironed, chlorinated, washed at more than 40 C and, above all, have a limited number of cleaning cycles because the reflective material is worn. "If the vest lying for two years in the car, nothing happens. However, it has a limited lifetime, and once used daily. It should change once a year. For years, it has lost some of its capabilities. "says Lukas of 3M Czech Republic.

Right here, to one of the world's largest manufacturers, we set out for advice on reflective materials. They are also preparing reflective areas for traffic signs. Did you suspect, for example, that three types are used by us? On the parking lot, Class 1 with low reflection, Road 2 to higher reflection and class 3 highways are enough? "It's because we do not clean the portal marks on the labels and we guarantee their performance for ten years. In the beginning, therefore, it must have a little more to continue to meet the expected performance, "says Jixi of 3M, saying that if you put the same board next to the normal road, it would dazzle. Above the head of the drivers, it does not matter much.

Lukas immediately pulls out a strange device for a quarter million crowns, called a retro reflection meter, measuring just the ability to reflect light. He also explains what is the mistake of thinking that bright clothing or a white shirt will give us more visibility on the road in the dark. For illustrative purpose, it measures the reflex vests that are provided - for the actual laboratory tests, it is important to specify the ambient temperature, surrounding light and a number of other conditions.

The strips on the first green vest are shining more than they would need: at 330 degrees centimeter (330 cd/ lx.m²) and 499.5 in the vest. It also has high-limit values for 20 and 25 degrees. But the orange vest almost does not shine. "Although the European standard has a written standard, it does not work too much," Lukas shakes his head, measuring only 8.2 cd/lx .m².

There are bike trips for the summer, but cyclists need to be careful

Made Boleslaw district offers cyclists a whole range of routes. They can choose from those simple to the most demanding. For example, a ride along the Jeer road, a trip through Branded or Darlene of Cost. Those who are more proficient can swim, for example, when climbing on Hole Vichy and then go to fertile, straight to Number, or getting into the body while climbing the slopes of the Mt.

Being a helmet is quite a common phenomenon, there are still those who swear only on the wind in their hair. Some of them also take the road traffic rules lightly, not to mention that a number of cyclists will not resist the fun of the pub and will not say one or more beer. The risk of collision is thus multiplied.

"Cyclists and car drivers are two groups that traditionally do not like, everyone who is sitting in the car and vice versa is sure to know," Milan, instructor of the driving school, said. Representatives of both groups are making a number of mistakes that they all pay. "There are two, sometimes even more, cyclists who run side by side and recall, rather than being behind the edge of the road. A big disgust is also the absence of reflective materials or dark clothes at night. "he added. Other frequent bugs include ignoring priority at a crossroads.

Frequently, according to the instructor, is the use of bicycle paths, which are often just off the road or entering the crossings, where cyclists have to properly dismount the bicycle. "Errors, of course, are also aggressive drivers. This is a fierce attempt to overtake cyclists on the horizon or in confusing turns. When something appears in the opposite direction, they tend to pull the wheel back where the cyclist is. "added Milan.

Accidents do not let them wait. This is confirmed by police records. "Since January this year, we have recorded 24 traffic accidents with cyclists, most of them with minor injuries, but in three cases the injuries were hard," said police spokeswoman Lucie.

The statistics, who were guilty of each accident, the police do not have, but quite eloquent is that more than a third of cyclists had alcohol in their blood. Out of those 24 cases, alcohol was measured by nine cyclists.

According to the spokesperson for accidents, too often insufficient reflective vests contributed. "Drivers who injured cyclists agree that cyclists were not seen at all or too late. The rule of seeing and being seen is the basic rule of road safety, "said Lucie. Police additionally appeal to all cyclists to wear helmets(iron-on reflective heat transfer vinyl), although they have been their free choice since the age of 18. Children under the age of 15-18 who is criminally liable for being deprived of their children may be fined up to a thousand crowns. Children under 10 may also be on the road only accompanied by a person over 15 years of age.

If the pedestrians are not in the dark, the fog or the gloom on the road is marked by reflective elements. They are liable to a fine of up to two thousand dollars in block proceedings. In administrative proceedings, the penalty ranges from 1500 to 2500 crowns.

Running in the winter?

Rain or shine. Walking is not a game that you only practice in good weather. You can also walk comfortably and with pleasure on cold days.

Here are ten tips to stay in the winter and defy the cold:

1. Dress in layers to isolate yourself from the cold. Preferably do not wear cotton clothing, because cotton will retain moisture, so you will quickly get cold. (Breathable) Undergarments are the first layer of the body. Choose thermal underwear in cold conditions. Wear a winter top(sewn-in reflective fabric) and choose a third layer that protects you from the rain and wind. Do not wear too much clothing, because once you start walking, you will soon get warm.

2. At temperatures around the freezing point, protect your head, neck, hands, and feet. Choose your gloves, socks, hat or headband based on their insulating properties. Keep an eye on the wind chill through the weather reports. Wind can cause it to feel even colder than it really is.

3. In winter, the chances are that you will walk when it is dark. Make sure you are visible to motorists. Use clothing with reflective stripes, a (head) light, reflective vest, reflective tapes or a vest with LED lighting.

4. In the winter, the sun does not lure you outside to work out. Therefore, speak to others to walk. That helps to stay motivated. Moreover, you cannot easily get out of it if you have a running date.

5. In winter, you should not focus on time and performance. Do not put too much pressure on yourself, just try to maintain your condition. Maybe plan a goal in the spring and try to build it up quietly.

6. Do you slip when you walk? That is also no excuse. You can use ice grippers, a kind of snow chains for sports shoes, or snowshoes. Trail shoes also have more grip than regular running shoes.

7. If you find it too slippery outside, you can walk in on a treadmill as an alternative workout. In the gym, you can also choose the step or the cross trainer to stay in shape.

High school students, their connected clothes will save lives

At the end of May, in Toulouse, high school students will present at the final of the Genial contest, connected safety clothing dedicated to improving the safety of road users.

Supervised by Sylvie Turban, professor of SVT (Science and life of the Earth) and Arnaud Vetter, professor of physics-chemistry, about twenty students of 1st high school Andeans worked on a project connected clothing as part of the personalized support.

How to improve the safety of road users by making them visible when necessary, using connected clothes? : that was the guiding thread of the gait.

Based on two different situations, high school students have defined two projects: "a vest that indicates the direction the cyclist will take, such as a flashing car, and a hi vis vest that makes visible the roadside worker when a car enters a work zone.

In both cases, the work process was identical: define the needs by interviewing potential users; search for technical means to respond to them, using Adriano and various use sensors; make a prototype.

During the design of the garment, we took the original idea of a yellow reflective vest by modifying it so that it is safe and more visible to motorists.

Flashing LEDs have been added to the vest. "say the young designers. The interviews they had with the future users allowed them to define the device. In one case, a Lily Pad in the upper back that will be used to program the LEDs to be used as turn signals and buttons on the sleeves to operate the Lily Pad. In the other, an ultrasonic transceiver on a panel to detect a car entering the site, a radio wave transmitter to send the information to the vest, a receiver on the vest that receives the waves radio.

The goal is to offer both projects to a company to get their help and experience, then develop and market them.

On Easter holidays, the roadster advises and warns

We present you with a few simple tips, the use of which will help you reach your destination safely:

Before you go:

    check the technical condition of your car (check the tires - including the pressure in the wheels, check the lighting, check and, if necessary, top up the oil, coolant and washer fluid, check the condition of the rubber in the windshield wipers),

    Take care of the cleanness of the windows - also side windows, to ensure maximum visibility,

    Make sure that the vents in the car are correctly set so that the windows do not mist up,

    Secure the luggage carried before it is moved; do not leave unprotected items in the passenger compartment,

    Rest before the journey.

During the trip:

    Make sure that each transported person has fastened seatbelts and reflective clothing, and that children are transported in accordance with the applicable regulations - in protective seats or other devices for transporting children,

    Take care of proper ventilation of the interior,

    By overcoming long distances, organize stops; even a few minutes' breaks in the journey very much improves concentration and allows you to move on with the "new" energy,

    Absolutely adjust the speed to the prevailing road conditions.

GO READY - i.e. use the turn signals in advance, signaling your intention, not a maneuver.

DRIVING FOR THE PRESENT - predict what may happen in a moment; use the principle of limited trust, be prepared for changing road conditions; in the mountains, roads may be covered with ice or snow, mark a car in the event of a breakdown - switch on emergency lights, display warning triangle; take care of your safety - put on a reflective vest.

Being a pedestrian:

    Going along the road at which there is no sidewalk, go the left side, and if there is no roadside

    Go to the left edge of the road,

    Take care of your visibility - put on the clothing reflective materials: vest, band, tags, etc., so that other users can see you from a long distance, which will give them time for the right response.

The Civil Guard distributed to the cyclists reflective vests

Agents of the Civil Guard of Traffic focused last weekend their efforts in giving protection to cyclists on the busiest roads in this group in the province.

Specifically, special interest was placed on the N-120 and OU-402 roads, which connect Orense and Reba davit along both sides of the Mino river. In addition to the roads OU-103, OU-108 and OU-1096, between Macadam and the Sanctuary of Os Milagros and the roads N-120, OU-504 and N-541, between Orense, Reba davit and Caballing.

During these two days, agents distributed reflective vests provided by the Junta de Galicia, through the Galician Federation of Cycling, among those cyclists who did not wear high visibility vests.

It was also used to raise awareness of those who traveled by bicycle on these roads that must comply with traffic regulations, respecting the traffic lights, not making use of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings when riding on the bike and advising them to make use of cycling jerseys. Bright colors or high visibility reflective fabric, so that drivers of other vehicles can identify them as far in advance as possible.

On the other hand, drivers were reminded that, especially on weekends, many cyclists are on the roads of the province.

A safe cyclist on the road

On Thursday morning (April 19), the police together with the mayor, Kaminski, inaugurated the campaign "Safe cyclist on the way to work".

"Safe cyclist on the way to work" is a joint effort for the safety of cyclists organized by the Traffic Department of the Pavia Police Headquarters and the Municipal Office. Cyclists wear a vest(especially sewn-in reflective fabric) will be better visible on the road.

Today, on April 19, from 6.00 am to 8.00 am, policemen from the road club focused their activities in those areas, where in the morning the most cyclists who commute to work on their single-track vehicles appear.

The aim of the activities is to improve safety on the roads of unprotected road users by increasing their visibility. On this day, cyclists encountered received reflective vests, funded by the city authorities, which were handed out to Krzysztof Kaminski and the head of the Road Traffic Department to the poke.

Reflective safety vests significantly increase visibility, and thus the safety of cyclists on the road. It should be remembered, however, that the reflective vest does not release from the obligation of proper lighting and bicycle equipment. Spring has come, which encourages cycling trips, so it is worth taking care of it to travel safely - we read in the police communication.