Pedestrian fatalities without reflective vests

First of all, the better the report: the number of deaths in traffic accidents generally falls. The worse: still does not significantly reduce pedestrian deaths. Last year 545 people died (at least since 1961), of which 111 were pedestrians. And the culprit? In 90 cases, he was a pedestrian in 21 cases.

In addition, pedestrians are the most vulnerable group of seniors: While three or five pedestrians died at the age of 24. At the age of 55+, there was 66, 59 percent of all victims.

The most common tragic pedestrian mistakes are sudden access to the road or under-estimation of the speed of the approaching vehicle. Drivers are disproportionate driving speed and lack of dedication to driving.

Pedestrians most of all road users are doing at night. Last year it was 59.5 percent of all the victims in their ranks. With the introduction of mandatory reflective vests from February 2016, however, there is a slight shift to the better at least during the day: three people died in the blind spot last year, not one last year after the reflexive elements.

Traffic expert ROMAN BUDSKY warns in Diary's interview: Mobile phone lighting is definitely not enough

For more than a year, pedestrians in the Czech Republic have a duty to wear reflective elements, especially when they have reduced visibility outside the village or in a village where there is insufficient lighting. In practice, people are always forgetting or trying to "shine" with the mobile - pointing to the road to see for themselves. But the car does not see them. As Roman Bud sky says - transport expert and PR campaign manager You can do it - reflective materials are irreplaceable in autumn and winter.

Outside, it is already dying, drier more often, the first fog appears. How to use reflective materials correctly to see the pedestrian?

Reflective tapes should be placed above the right ankle and above the right wrist. The road should be left on the road, so it is necessary to place the reflective accessories as close as possible to the road so that pedestrians can see them as soon as possible. It is only to be added that the pedestrian must make the reflections obligatory to be marked as diminished visibility when it goes out of the village on the roadside or on the edge of the road in a place not illuminated by public lighting.

The driver has collapsed after a fatal accident

Police are investigating a tragic accident at Pesky Brood from Tuesday night. Crash with a car did not survive a man and a woman.

"We already know the identity of the people who were murdered: Men, the Year 1955 and Woman, the Year 1962," said police spokeswoman Martina. According to Attu, she was a married couple. The tragedy happened in the evening at the junction of the I / 12 roads, approximately two kilometers from the city.

 The exact circumstances of the tragedy are not yet clear. The car hit by the accident victim was driven by a woman of about thirty-six. "She was not under the influence of alcohol, a man and a woman were not thrown at the pedestrian crossing," she added.

 Fire-fighters were also assisted by the police. According to pictures, from the scene of the accident, the couple died in the middle of the road they apparently tried to run over. The driver was shocked after a collision. "Two members of the post-traumatic care team were called to the accident, the fire brigade provided psychic assistance to the driver of a passenger car, illuminated the place of intervention and cooperated with the Czech Police in the investigation and the subsequent obstruction of the road," Yaroslavl Gabriel, the fire brigade said.

According to the locals at the scene of the accident, many people across the road, but the cars are driving very fast there. "There's a road and a place I know, it's a lot of people going there, but there's not a crossing, there's a hundred, there's a walk in the pedestrians to watch the crossing, and not the car running under the wheels, it's sad, but the pedestrians they should behave a little differently, "Market thinks. "A few accidents have already happened," said George.

"Very often, people come in this dark place, who is, unfortunately, seen in the last few moments, sadly, everyone should think about their health and really have reflective vests," added another woman.

"There are a lot of people without reflective tapes on the road this day! Poor driver," Alana thinks. "Reflective materials will help a lot, but I am sometimes amazed at the speed in these places," added Mire. "When will modernization come on this route? This is not the first accident at this junction. " thinks Michal.

The consequences of the accident were tragic. The man on the spot died, the life of the women rescuers for dozens of minutes fought, unfortunately in vain. "Unfortunately, her vital functions failed to recover, "said Petra, a rescue spokeswoman.

Are you traveling by car? See what you need to have

Denmark

A fire extinguisher and a reflective vest are not part of the mandatory equipment, but it is recommended to have them in the vehicle. On motorways, the driver must use the warning lights of his car to warn other motorists against collision or other hazards (for example, an accident, a roadblock).

Estonia

Reflective vests are mandatory for anyone leaving the vehicle in an emergency during reduced visibility. A fire extinguisher is part of a mandatory two-track vehicle. It is compulsory to carry two wedges (wood or plastic blocks) to prevent possible movement when the vehicle is parked on a hill.

Finland

The pedestrian or the crew of a vehicle moving in low visibility communication must have reflective tapes or reflective vests on the clothing.

France

Bikers' helmets must have reflective features in accordance with ECE 22-04, paragraph 6.16. Helmets approved by the French authorities without reflective stickers can be used. Motor vehicle drivers and bikers must have reflective materials in their means of transport but no fine will be imposed if they cannot show it during police roadside checks. A child under 10 years of age must not travel in the front seat if the rear seats are free. The reflective vest is mandatory for anyone on board a vehicle with 2 or more wheels (e.g.: motorcycle, passenger car, van, caravan, truck, ...) - sanctions from 90 to 750 Euros.

In Paris, since 1 July, a low-emission zone has been introduced and a low-emission plaque is therefore necessary. Headsets are forbidden to listen to music and hand free earphones for cyclists, bikers and motor vehicle drivers.

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.