We tested six visibility vests available in the store and duly licensed: two failed in our examination because we did not see our subject within thirty to forty meters when wearing these vests.

 

The more expensive a visibility safety vest, the better?

We did not believe that there was a correlation between these two figures since in principle the cheapest vest had the license number EN 471; and on the shelves, all reflective stripes look the same. However, anyone who has been driving at night and has encountered a vest, a regular pedestrian or a cyclist knows that there is a difference between jackets. The Little Plain tested six vests and gave truth to the motorists.

 

In addition to the cheapest product from one hypermarket (300 forints), we bought two more at the same place: green and orange vests for 590 forints. In the car shop, they sold green for 550 forints, and in the workwear shop, they sold 1100 forints.

 

Big Vest: We thought we were perfectly safe everywhere, but it turned out that the farther we got from the car, the bigger the difference.

 

Finally, we also tested the piece that we received (a seat belt) during a previous police operation – of course, for free. Before the results, there are some important details: Outside of populated areas, wearing a visibility vest with reflective tape has been mandatory since June 1 last year, and has been a requirement for pedestrians since January 1 this year.

 

So far this year, 21 cyclists have been produced for drunkenness. The last figure is estimated, but probably the most eloquent: According to experts, only 30-40% of cyclists/pedestrians wear a vest when leaving outside a populated area.

 

The results are: even after 200 meters, we were able to see our subject on the edge of the main road when wearing the $ 1,100 vest. The two colorful hypermarkets and the police gift vest were pretty much tied: they made the pedestrian visible from 150 to 200 meters, but they were less lit from the first moment than the first. There were two waistcoats at our exam, the two cheapest: one was bought for $ 300 at a hypermarket and the other was offered at a car dealership for $ 550. They all had a standard number, so there was no obstacle to selling them. It is certain, however, that within 30 to 50 meters – although we had been expecting our pedestrian to appear, so we knew where to look, we did not notice anything in the shining vests with reflective materials.

 

According to transport experts, the braking distance is 50 mph in dry weather and 14 m in dry weather, and 20 m in rain. The same at 90 km / h at 45 and 65 meters and 95 and 130 meters respectively. They also add response time and the braking system of the car – the meters we measure mean that. According to this, outside the main road, outside a populated area, if we had traveled 90 and our man was not pulling down to the edge of the road, we would have only noticed at the last minute.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Zoltán Kiss, head of the county police headquarters traffic police department, says they have launched a series of campaigns in recent months to persuade people to wear a vest. Standard products should, in principle, be able to “light up”, but police are not allowed to check this, but rather whether they are wearing visibility vests. The lieutenant colonel has announced that more controls are expected this year, mainly because as an estimate at the beginning, it is good to know that today, every third pedestrian/cyclist takes seriously the obligation to wear a vest.