“There are just a lot of accidents involving cyclists because they are not seen,” says the employee of the Beranger Ordnungsamt. As part of the nationwide “Day of visibility” campaign, she and her colleague, both of whom do not want to give their names, inform pedestrians and cyclists about the benefits of reflective clothing in traffic on Tuesday morning in front of the Tobias Seiler High School. Reflective bands, flashing lights, bag trailers, gym bags, and safety vests are distributed to ensure that you are seen by other road users.
The employees pay attention not only to the clothing but also to the existing light sources of the bicycles. Many children and adults were already well equipped. “I have reflective clothing, but it’s at home,” was still a frequent response from the students. In the twilight and at night small things, such as a safety vest or reflectors, could help enormously, explained the employee of the public order office.
Cyclists are only required to have a functioning front and rear light. Additional reflectors and helmets are not mandatory, but should always be worn for your own safety. According to the Brandenburg network, experts believe that the number of fatal and serious injuries to cyclists would be reduced by 50 percent if they were more visible to motorists.
In dark clothing, drivers can only detect pedestrians or cyclists from around 25 meters. If you wear reflective material or additional light sources, the distance expands to about 140 meters and you can be recognized early enough. Parents should make sure that children not only wear reflective stripes on the front and back but also on the sides of the body for 360-degree visibility.