Every night-time driver certainly experienced a situation when he saw a pedestrian very late and the accident did not happen just because the vehicle’s travel path and the direction of pedestrian movement did not cross.

 

Most pedestrians dress in line with fashion and social trends that are age-appropriate, with the result that pedestrians, especially the middle and older generations, wear dark clothing that does not reflect light but absorb it. They can only be seen thanks to street lighting or as a black silhouette in the headlights of vehicles going opposite.

 

Comparison of visibility differences between three pedestrians in different clothes. A walker in dark clothes, hard to see though, is only a few meters in front of the vehicle and the driver looks straight at him. A pedestrian in fluorescent clothing can be seen from several tens of meters and a pedestrian in reflective clothing can be seen at a distance of more than 100 meters.

 

It is unrealistic to expect pedestrians to walk in uncontrolled pedestrian crossings or on the verge and other roads instead of wearing reflective clothing.

 

The only way to reduce the number of pedestrian and vehicle accidents due to their lack of visibility is to separate them from one another, for example by building elevated trails.

 

Such adjustments cannot be made everywhere, so it is necessary to improve the quality of lighting, pedestrian crossings and the road where pedestrians and vehicles coexist.

 

But not all roads and all pedestrian crossings can be illuminated with such a strong light that even a pedestrian in black clothing can be seen.

 

That is why the obligation for pedestrians going outside the municipality to wear reflective clothing or at least to wear a reflective element that is visible from a distance has been defined. This simple, easy-to-implement, unpretentious duty will save many pedestrians because they can be seen in time by drivers of incoming vehicles.

 

Different reflective elements for pedestrians compared to one Euro coin. Reflective velcro tape. In the middle reflective tape with own source and flashing LEDs, also with Velcro. Below is the most commonly used reflective tape with an internal spring.

 

Fastening procedure. The tape does not stick, does not stitch. In the deployed state, it is applied to the location where it is to be fixed and gently pressed. Subsequently, the flat spring begins to twist the tape into the ball joint and wrap it around the arm, whereby the reflective tape is sufficiently fastened.

 

Reflective tape in curled shape compared to one Euro coin. To see that the curled reflective tape occupies a minimal volume and can be worn permanently in the cam of a jacket, so it is available whenever it is needed.

 

In Act No. 8/2009 Coll. on Road Traffic has introduced the obligation for pedestrians and cyclists to wear at least one reflective material outside the village. This is because there are usually no pedestrian and motorway separating roads outside the municipality, and there is no public lighting on such sections.

 

But in the meantime, another fashion started. It is the joining of city districts or nearby municipalities into one unit, designated as one municipality, as a result of which unlit areas between city districts or interconnected municipalities, which have previously been territories outside the municipalities, have become territorial areas and are not subject to pedestrian duty. use reflective elements on clothes.

 

To protect pedestrian life, pedestrians’ behavior and legislation should be changed so that pedestrians are required to wear a reflective feature whenever they are involved in road traffic in low light conditions, outside functional lighting, regardless of whether they are in or outside the city.