In winter it is - mostly anyway - dark and cold. Due to the darkness, it is much more dangerous to be on the road not only for motorists but also for pedestrians and cyclists. On Friday, the police gave Joachim Tabath and Michael Knapke tips for seniors and children. It was all about the visibility in the dark. All ages can benefit from the tips.
Reflective clothing is visible up to 140 meters
Luminous clothing has been known for decades for its white-silver stripes and its yellow or orange main color. Reflective clothing is visible up to 140 meters in the car's headlight, which is a significant difference compared to dark clothing (25 meters) and light clothing (40 meters). Reflectors work as follows: The white-silver reflective fabrics have about 15,000 glass balls per square centimeter, which are mirrored on one side. This causes reflected light to be reflected back to the source.
Especially seniors are frequent accident victims. According to Joachim, between 2006 and 2018, 66 pedestrians died in traffic accidents in Düsseldorf, of whom 41 were older than 65 - that is 62% of deaths. However, only 16 of the deaths were due to the dark. This reflects the lifestyle of many seniors: they often do not go out after dark. Nevertheless, they belong to a risk group. Here are more tips:
There are shopping bags that are made of the same material as a reflective vest. In addition, handy "mini-reflectors" help. The small stripes are about five inches tall and can be attached to all zippers.
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