"Don't be invisible – shine in the dark!"

September 27, 2024

On September 27, 2024, the Unified Road Safety Day titled will be held, aimed at promoting the use of reflective elements and high-visibility vests by pedestrians, cyclists, and horse-drawn vehicle drivers.

As dark evenings approach, the risk of road accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists increases. In the evening, under poor weather conditions, it is very difficult to see a pedestrian crossing the roadway or walking along the roadside.

One of the simplest and most accessible ways to attract drivers' attention is a reflector or flicker, which will help avoid danger on an unlit section of the road. Cyclists are advised to wear a reflective vest and equip their bicycles in accordance with traffic regulations.

A driver's actions depend by 90% on the visual information they receive. In the dark, the human eye perceives only 5% of what it can distinguish during the day. Therefore, in the evening, from 4 PM to midnight, the highest number of road traffic accidents is recorded according to statistics.

The predominant number of road traffic accidents are collisions of vehicles with pedestrians, when the driver discovers a person walking on the road too late in the dark, especially if the pedestrian is wearing very dark clothing that blends in with the road surface and surrounding environment. In urban areas, this problem is exacerbated by visual noise and the glare of headlights from oncoming traffic. The driver notices the pedestrian from a distance of no more than 25-30 meters, and even at a speed of 50 km/h, the vehicle's stopping distance exceeds this distance.

The Traffic Regulations, approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, establish the norm for mandatory use of retroreflective elements in the dark when moving along the edge of the roadway, and also recommend their use when crossing it.

Drivers

see a pedestrian with retroreflective elements from a significantly greater distance compared to pedestrians without them, the distance at which an "identified pedestrian" is visible increases by 1.5–3 times, and the risk of a vehicle collision is reduced by 85%.

Since a person is constantly moving, light rays fall on them at different angles, the special filling of retroreflectors allows light to be reflected in the direction from which it falls, the retroreflective element will always be visible: rain, fog, snow, hail are not an obstacle.

Dear adults! When going outside, especially in the evening, make sure that you and your child are identified with retroreflective elements attached to clothing, a handbag, or a backpack. Be sure: drivers will not miss the reflective signal of such a talisman!

 

Senior State Traffic Inspector

of the Traffic Police Department of the Public Security Militia of the Glubokoye District Department of Internal Affairs

Police Captain                                                                                   E.A. Sivitsky