More accidents happen in the dark winter months. But new accident figures that the AD has requested show that pedestrians, in particular, are much more at risk in winter. In winter, there are four to five times as many collisions with pedestrians than in spring and summer. Cyclists are involved three times as often in the winter period in accidents.
Egbert-Jan van Hasselt, who is responsible for road safety at the National Police: We have been paying a lot of attention to light on bicycles for years, but the pedestrian has been underexposed. ” The policy calls it ‘an eye-opener’ that the pedestrians the statistics stand out like that. , We call the pedestrians: wears lighting or reflective material! Make sure you are also visible to your surroundings as a pedestrian. ”
Often, according to the police, people who leave in the evening, for example, let their dog out in a dark coat on unlit paths. The combination of ‘bad light, bad weather and dark clothing’ make pedestrians ‘almost invisible’, according to Van Hasselt. “Even if you walk safely on the side of the road if a car driver does not see you are no chance.”
According to insurers, children are often involved in accidents in the dark, especially when it is raining or drizzling. , It often concerns older children who are on their way by bike or on foot to the football club or violin lessons ”, explains Bums. Now those children are still in the light of the sports club, but because of the winter time, it is already dark tomorrow. , People soon think: well, it’s only a small piece, that lighting will come later ”, Bums continues. , But the injuries they incur is sometimes serious and that is also a rehabilitation period. ”
According to Veiling Vermeer Nederland, lighting or reflective clothing for pedestrians is of extra importance, because drivers are increasingly busy with other things, such as the Smartphone, while driving. VVN spokesperson Rob Stomp horst: “Reflective clothing can then ensure that a motorist still sees such a pedestrian or cyclist.”
Safe Traffic Netherlands developed in cooperation with Hemi the clothing line ‘Be Seen’, with for example reflective tapes on clothing and boots. The Finnish police, in cooperation with Veiling Vermeer Finland, devised a reflector on a string of your coat or your bag. A pedestrian, without reflector, is seen with dipped light from 20 to 40 meters, while a pedestrian with reflector is seen from 150 meters away. Van Hasselt: “A motorist then has more time to respond. It would be nice if this became just such a craze. ”