Visibly safer with luminous clothing: tips for pedestrians

If you are out and about on foot in the dark, cold season, you should make sure that you are easily recognizable in traffic from a distance, because: It's not about looking fashionable, but about your safety on the road! Illuminated clothing, reflectors and the like are therefore preferable to covered clothing when you are out and about on foot in the dark. Another important argument for reflective clothing on the body that only a few people know: 90 percent of all necessary information in road traffic is perceived by our eyes, but our visual performance at night is only five percent of what it is in daylight. So, when it comes to safety, luminous clothing is the method of choice. Compared to dark clothing, which can only be seen up to around 25 meters, it makes pedestrians visible at a distance of 150 meters. In addition to fluorescent vests, armbands and jackets in bright colors are recommended. For children, there are "Blinkies", reflective tags for clothing, school bags and rucksacks. If you then only cross the road at traffic lights or well-lit crosswalks, you will definitely be safer on the road.

Make your two-wheeler visible: Tips for cyclists

Of course, you should ideally also wear luminous clothing in the form of a vest and a bicycle helmet when you are out and about on your bike in fall and winter. In addition, a fully functioning lighting system on your bike is of course essential. This includes a dynamo, two yellow reflectors per pedal, a large reflector on the pannier rack, yellow spoke reflectors, a white front reflector and a white front light. Tires with reflective white stripes and additional reflectors on the arms and legs further increase safety.

Ensuring good visibility: tips for car drivers

As the driver of a car, you must always bear in mind that in the darker months of the year, the weather conditions, in addition to darkness, significantly restrict your visibility. Wet conditions, snow and foliage also increase braking distances. The following must therefore be observed when driving a car: In any case, the vehicle's lights must be checked regularly to ensure that they are working properly. Then you should always adjust your speed to the prevailing road and visual conditions and clean the windows before setting off: streaks and dirt can impair visibility considerably.

And as a driver, you can't avoid wearing fluorescent clothing either: since July 1, 2014, it has been mandatory to carry a high-visibility vest in your car. If you get out of the car in the dark in the event of a breakdown or accident, it makes sense to wear the vest.
Last but not least, you should avoid looking into the headlights of oncoming vehicles - this is dazzling. If you follow these tips, you will be a lot safer when driving in the dark.