Now, at night and in conditions of limited visibility, drivers will have to wear reflective vests if they are on the road or roadside.

 

The relevant government decree was signed by Dmitry Medvedev. It states that drivers “in the event of a forced stopping of a vehicle or a traffic accident outside residential areas at night or in conditions of limited visibility while on the roadway or side of the road must  dressed in a jacket, vest or vest-wrap with stripes retro-reflective material that meets the requirements of GOST 12.4.281-2014″.

 

Recall that relatively recently, pedestrians prescribed the mandatory wearing of reflective materials on clothing, if they move along the sides or the edge of the roadway at night outside settlements.

 

For drivers leaving the car in such conditions, the rule did not apply. As a result, according to the traffic police for the six months of this year, about 7,500 pedestrian raids were recorded on Russian roads at night.

 

This is 10.2 percent less compared to the same period last year. In these accidents 1321 people died, 65  37 people were injured. At the same time, the number of raids on drivers who came out of the cars on the road or on the side of cars increased by almost five percent. In the six months of this year, 66 such accidents occurred.

 

“I must say, the requirement for the presence of vests in the car is in the rules of most European countries. And in some, there is a requirement to carry vests in the car, including for each passenger. And for this, there are serious fines.”

 

In Russia, a new requirement for drivers will take effect 90 days after its official publication. True, the penalty for the lack of a vest is not yet provided. In Europe, reflective vests are becoming mandatory.

 

Over the past decade, light-reflective vests have become an indispensable element of driver’s kit in most European countries. Specific rules vary from one country to another. For example, in Hungary, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and France, laws oblige to carry with them such clothing not only for the driver but also for each passenger. However, she should be in the cabin, not in the trunk, so that the vest can be put on before leaving the car.

 

In Austria, Bulgaria, and Estonia, in addition to the driver of a car or a motorcycle, vests are mandatory only for the passenger who goes to the roadway. In Finland and the Czech Republic, pedestrians should wear clothes with such elements in poor visibility. So far there are no similar requirements in the UK, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, although the discussion about this is going on.

 

For example, the British government is considering to begin to oblige all cyclists on the road to wear reflective vests. However, many road users take care of their own safety and buy such clothes. And last summer in the UK, the owners of one of the villas even dressed up their special chickens in special jackets, which in the dark sometimes ran out onto the road and fell under the wheels of cars. Fines for lack of reflective clothing can be quite painful for a wallet.

 

In Germany, this is only 15 euros, in Italy, Spain, and France – from 100 to 140 euros, and in Portugal, the offender will be fined 300-600 euros. Much more than a few euros to pay for a vest. In the US, there are no federal laws that require drivers, motorcyclists or cyclists to wear reflective clothing in the dark. The road rules of the absolute majority of states explain how light-reflective clothing reduces the risk of accidents in the dark, and the corresponding questions are necessarily included in the exam for the driver’s license.

 

But the final choice – to use such clothes or not – participants of the movement usually make themselves. Obligatory special form with reflective tapes is only for road workers, police officers, firefighters and rescue workers and all citizens who work at night on federal highways. At the same time, in certain regions, local authorities sometimes impose requirements for reflective clothing.

 

For example, since 2013, it must be worn by all couriers and postmen traveling on bicycles or scooters through the busy streets of New York. You can buy such a vest in the USA for 5-10 dollars (approximately 300-600 rubles).