You can see the flicker. How Reflectors Help You Avoid Trouble on the Road

In October, the daylight decreased significantly. And that means it's time to think about flickers. How important retroreflective elements are for pedestrians, cyclists and users of personal mobility when driving in the dark, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency examined.

- The capital’s streets, although well lit, but nevertheless the use of reflectors will not be superfluous, says the head of the traffic police Department of the Mingory Executive Committee Sergey Babich. If a person is not indicated by a flicker, then with the headlights turned on, it can be detected only at a distance of 25-40 m. In conditions of insufficient visibility, a passer-by dressed in dark clothes practically merges with the environment. On a wet or slippery road, it is physically impossible to brake instantly when an obstacle is detected. But a pedestrian with a flicker driver will notice at a distance of 130-140 m. With high beam headlights, the distance increases to 400 m. In such conditions, the motorist manages to react and take the necessary measures to prevent an accident.

The most vulnerable on the road are children. Therefore, it was decided together with employees of the traffic police department of the Moscow police department Violetta Meleshko and Evgeny Book to go to secondary school No. 83 named after G. K. Zhukov, where the children study both in the first and second shift. This means that flickers on the way home they definitely do not interfere.

At the school, please stop a woman with a child for a moment. Alina Alexandrovna just picked up her son Daniel from class. The boy is in first grade, so his parents bring him to school in the morning and take him home after school.

- I am a driver myself, so I care about the safety of my child, said the mother of the student. Daniel is accustomed to look around when he crosses the roadway. He always rushes off his bike in front of a zebra. As for flickers, they are necessary during movement. This makes pedestrians more visible to drivers.

Further, we conduct a professional conversation on the topic of safe driving of bicycles and electric scooters, as well as the benefits of retroreflective elements with a group of students. Children answer questions of inspectors with confidence and confidence. And most importantly, they give the right answers. You can see that the GI classes are good for them.

- It is necessary to understand that not all reflectors are equally effective, the traffic police noted. The most high-quality and noticeable are the elements of white-lunar and lemon-yellow colors. They have the highest coefficient of retroreflection, while flickers of other shades are significantly inferior to them in efficiency. It is also important to choose the right type of flicker depending on the place of its attachment. For moving parts of the body - hands and feet - the best suitable retroreflective tape. But for bags, backpacks and joggers on zippers of outer clothing, pendants or keychains will be ideal solutions.

According to the traffic police, it is also necessary for cyclists and drivers of personal mobility to increase their visibility on the roads. On the latter, headlamps emitting white and red light respectively shall be switched on at the front and at the rear. At the same time, outside settlements, the cyclist and the driver of the SPM must have high-visibility clothing with retroreflective inserts.

In the end, it was decided to talk to the drivers. Street. Several railway vehicles were stopped. During the brief communication, the traffic police officers reminded that driving should be extremely careful, reduce speed in advance when approaching pedestrian crossings, educational institutions, public transport stops, as well as when driving in residential areas.

Choose a safe speed that will allow you to react to changes in the road situation in time. And do not forget that in case of a car breakdown or an accident, you should identify yourself on the road. This is best suited for a vest with reflective inserts. In some cases, it is important for drivers to be visible, as well as pedestrians.

Photo by Denis Kulagi