In 2017, over 39 thousand people suffered in road accidents. What's more, 38 percent of all the victims were "unprotected" participants in the movement, and in every fourth incident suffered by pedestrians. The most dangerous period for pedestrians was the autumn and winter season, during which 549 people were killed. As statistics of the National Police Headquarters show, in comparison with 2016, the number of accidents has decreased, however Polish roads still belong to one of the most dangerous in Europe. In this respect, we are in the fourth place from the end. In 2017, an average of 49 people per European citizen per million citizens died, while in Poland - 75. The lowest number of fatal accidents occurred in Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
With a view to improving road safety, especially in autumn and winter, the Odblaskowi.pl campaign is taking off for the ninth time. Objective? First of all, educate and implement positive habits among pedestrians. This year the Reflective Patrol will reach 15 cities. There are many attractions, interactive activities and educational games waiting for participants of events organized as part of the campaign. In Safe Towns the youngest will learn the rules of safe traffic on the road, learn how to safely cross the road to school, and receive reflective tapes. In total, organizers will give away 60,000 bands and 50 thousand information brochures for parents.
In a dimly lit place, after dark the driver notices the pedestrian only from a distance of 30 meters. After applying the reflective vests, this distance increases to 150-200 meters, and with long light switched on even up to a kilometer. Reflective elements help to improve safety, but caution and careful observation on the part of pedestrians and drivers are the key to avoiding tragedy.
The more independent children become, the more often they are exposed to road accidents. Some of them result from the lack of sufficient knowledge about safe behavior in road traffic. Therefore, the primary element of any child's outer cover should be reflective. By reflecting the light, they allow you to see the youngest of conditions of inadequate visibility, which often protects you against being hit by a car - instructs young insp. Agate Krystal from the Traffic Office of the Police Headquarters.
How to properly wear reflective vests?
Students in schools that will visit the Reflective Patrol will also receive educational materials prepared by specialists in the field of road safety. They will learn from them how to wear reflective vests and where to put them.
Assuming reflective materials, you have to think about which side to set them on. In Poland, according to the regulations, a pedestrian who is moving on the road is obliged to walk on the left side. The vehicle comes to him from the front, so we put such a reflective element on the right hand, on the right leg, to make it more visible from the side of the road. Let's try to make children of schoolbags or clothing have a reflective element on the right, says Powel from the Traffic Department of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters.
Since the car's low beam is lowered low and illuminates the road, the reflector should be placed as low as possible. If the pedestrian has a reflector-pendant, you can hang it on the neck, but such a high placement makes it will be less effective than the element placed a meter lower, for example at the ankle. Every half a meter down increases visibility by several dozen meters. This difference can determine the life of a pedestrian.
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