05/01/2016
Since the chances of being struck and killed as a pedestrian increase by 100% after dark, according to the National Safety Council, you should take advantage of the Federal Highway Administration's statement that reflectorization has been shown to increase the visibility of a pedestrian by a factor of five.
In the Scandinavian countries, where reflectors have been used by all members of the population since the early '60's, the nighttime pedestrian accident rate is 50% less than ours here in the United States. In the US, over 60% of pedestrian accidents and deaths occur in the dark says the National Safety Council. Wear or carry a reflector beginning today! Be Safe - Be Seen!
Wearing white is not enough.
Studies have shown that pedestrians walking along a road in dark clothing at night are first seen approximately, 55 feet away giving the driver less than one second reaction time. A driver traveling at 60 mph needs over 260 feet to stop. The chart below represents the distances at which a driver will FIRST SEE a pedestrian depending on clothing color
How does a Reflector Work?
Terminology can be confusing, for many people ask for a "glo" product or "neon sticker" and really want a reflector. Here are all of the terms you need when working with reflectors:
Reflector - Sometimes called a "retro reflector", it is a product that actually reflects light from a source back to the eye of the beholder. The source can be headlights or a flashlight. It can be a hard plastic part, a sheet of reflective material, or soft vinyl reflective film fabricated into an unlimited variety of shapes. There are prismatic reflectors and glass bead reflectors, but both reflect light sufficiently to make the wearer visible in the dark up to 500 feet away from the light source, or more.