The truth is also crass in numbers. The driver in a car with the half-light switched on will see a pedestrian on an average of fifty meters away. If the pedestrian carries a reflective tape, it is visible at 350 meters distance. With the main beam turned on, the reflex is even more efficient. The law states that pedestrians should use reflexes – yet half of Finns do not do so, according to information from the Swedish Transport Safety Agency.
“This applies to common sense: use reflexes for others in the traffic to see you,” says Camilla Fri-Bergström.
Even in the enlightened urban environment, it can be difficult to get a view of cyclists and pedestrians. Immune windows, shadows from bushes and trees and various light sources can affect the field of view. Dirty windscreens and bad lanterns can further aggravate the situation.
Since 2003, it has been mandatory to use reflex in the enlightened urban environment. In a new proposal for road traffic law, the reflex section still shines with its absence – something that has caused the Swedish Transport Administration to shudder.
“The statutory is a guideline also for media and education, private individuals and municipalities. No one has been disturbed by the rule for 35 years,” says CEO Anna-Liisa Tarvainen in a press release.
And although the law recommends the use of reflective vest, the one who does not meet meets some penalties.
Toothless, says Ola Lindholm from the insurance company Lokaltapiola Sydkusten.
If you get hit, it doesn’t matter if you wear reflective clothing with reflective fabrics or not when looking at potential benefits. The circumstances determine: has the person gone on the right side of the road? Everyone has an obligation to follow the rules in this respect, says Ola Lindholm, whoever goes on the wrong side of the road may have been involved and caused the accident.
Fortunately, such accidents are relatively few and emphasize that generalizing rules are difficult to give since nothing is black and white.
Ola Lindholm herself thinks that a single reflex is not worth much – here is the reflective vest that applies.
It is quite lean with a reflex that dangles at knee height when moving on a dark road.