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the loss of light is a risk for pedestrians and cyclists

We will switch to winter time on the night between Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October. And who says that the winter time says reduced visibility of pedestrians, cyclists or scooters. Here are some practical tips to see.

We change night hours from Saturday to Sunday. By 3am it will only be 2am. If this represents an extra hour of sleep, it also means a very significant drop in visibility on the streets and in cities in the early afternoon. Especially between 5pm and 7pm after school and work. And every year, at the same time, accidents involving pedestrians increase. Accidents increase by 42% in November compared to October. It is therefore essential to be visible on foot, by bicycle or by scooter.

If you are dressed in black, you are only visible 20 meters away in the headlights of a car, but it takes 25 meters for a car traveling at 50 km / h to stop, if the road is wet it is 38 meters. Some tips are useful, especially since some equipment is mandatory.

  • If you ride a bicycle you must be equipped with red reflectors in the back, orange at the level of the pedals and visible from the side, finally you must have a white light in the front
  • At night, when visibility is insufficient, the yellow orange or fluorescent green jacket is mandatory outside built-up areas.
  • Scooters must be equipped with a white light in the front, a red light in the back and rear and side reflectors.
  • Wearing a reflective vest is mandatory at night or during the day if visibility is insufficient.

If it was necessary to be convinced of the need to be well equipped on a bicycle or scooter, road safety explains that cycling is one of the modes of transport that has registered the highest increase in mortality. In 2021, 227 cyclists lost their lives in France, 21% more than in 2019. In addition, 24 scooter users were killed in 2021, 14 more than in 2019.

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