Hi-vis vests to become mandatory
Be visible at night
UK motorists who drive to Italy or Spain this year will have to carry a high-visibility vest in their cars, as well as a warning triangle and GB sticker. It's likely that Portugal and France will follow suit, making it illegal for motorists to get out of their cars on dual-carriageways and non-urban roads without such clothing.
Make it the right vest though, since most don't meet safety standards --see survey results below.
According to statistics compiled by Icu-ucme.com, which sells high-visibility vests, someone wearing one is likely to be seen by a motorist three seconds sooner in the dark. At 30mph, this is a distance of 42 metres.
A spokesman for the company said: ‘A study by the American Automobile Association found that of 400 interstate pedestrian fatalities, one third were drivers or passengers who had left their vehicles following an incident, and three-quarters of the fatalities occurred after dark.’
However, the AA is concerned that motorists in Italy and Spain will risk injury by staying in their cars rather than getting out without a vest and facing a potential fine.
More than 10 people are killed on the hard shoulder of British motorways every year; it is far safer to wait for help behind the crash barrier.
There are no plans for the UK to make the carrying of illuminated vests a requirement, according to the Department for Transport.
Survey details
However, a survey conducted on behalf of the Royal Spanish Automobile Club has revealed that 63 per cent of all hi-visibility vests sold have safety problems.
The Royal Spanish Automobile Club (RACE) teamed up with the Spanish Department of Transportation and the National Consumer Institute to carry out a study in the course of which more than 100 reflective vests gathered from all over Spain were examined.
The results show that 63 per cent of the vests have safety problems, either with regard to the design of the garments or to their day-time visibility (coefficient of luminescence) or night time visibility (coefficient of retro reflection). Taking into account insufficient marking and information leaflets, this percentage of non-compliant garments increases to a total of 87 per cent.
A number of renowned organisations participated in this study, which was conducted over a period of more than 5 months. Among them were AITEX, an accredited institution for CE certification in the area of personal protective equipment (protection and safety) and Lumaquin, a company specialised in the manufacturing and distribution of measuring devices for laboratory quality control.
The collection/procurement of the vests constituted one of the major parts of the work. In a first step, a survey was carried out among more than 540 drivers asking them, among other questions, where they bought their reflective vests and whether they were aware of the regulations.
The results show that 98 per cent of the drivers know that they must carry a reflective vest in their car. Fifty-nine per cent of those interviewed know what a reflective vest looks like, and most of those who had already obtained a vest bought it in a specialist store for automotive parts or in a supermarket.
A team was then commissioned to buy the vests using the same buying criteria, keep the receipts and to note down the place, the date and the price of purchase, as well as all other relevant information. The study covered all other purchasing channels, including buying vests via the Internet. The vests were then numbered and submitted to analysis institutions for evaluation.
). But they were wearing brown and green against a wooded background at dusk. I saw them about 10 meters away. Scared the pee out of me. A high vis jacket (even a bright coat) would have let me see them long before! They should be standard fit in cars along with spare and jack etc. It wouldn't be difficult to have a small packet under the drivers seat (aircraft style) so they can be easily accessed.
hugoagogo said:
who here actually has one in the car then
The Ferrari has one kept behind the seat, but only because we needed it on EuroHoon.
Makes absolute sense, the bl**dy annoying bit is the GB sticker. Why can't they just make the Europlates legal? Of all the stickers I had plastered over the car for E.Hoon, the ONLY one that gave any trouble coming off, even with heavy use of a hair dryer, was the £2.50 Halfords GB sticker. Left glue all over the place
I live out in the countryside where the roads are mostly unlit, and it's dark for a long time here in Finland during the winter months. Most folks (me included) walk their dogs morning and evening, and the vast majority wear vests or reflective stripes of some sort. When we head out at night I'm in the vest with a couple of wrist bands, and the dog sports a reflective leash and collar so no problems seeing us coming
And there's one in the car (plus the mag lite) just in case.
But let's not get too hung up on wether or not the vest meets some official standard - I'd rather someone wore something shiny than lurk around in a dark coat...
In theory you should keep it to hand in the car so you can put it on before you leave the vehicle. I bought two from my local main dealer during a service and I kept them in the rear seat foot wells. If you get out of your car and walk to the boot to put a jacket on then you could – in theory – get fined for not wearing one in the process.
In concept I think it’s a good idea. However, in the greatest tradition of Southern European / Mediterranean law enforcement this appears to be another excuse for bored Carribineari to fleece unsuspecting tourists during the holiday period. I saw several Italian registered cars parked up on the hard shoulder with one or more passengers hanging rounding smoking, taking a pi** etc and none of them were wearing high visibility vests. The only people I saw with them on were people hanging around the numerous Dutch and German caravans and mobile homes you see on route.
t1grm said:
I thought this already came in at the beginning of last year? I was told I needed one to drive through Italy last summer and also remember reading it on PH.
Yeah but no but yeah but no.
The law came into force in Italy on April 1st 2004 but I've heard it was shelved not long after. Something to do with conflicting laws as to who was supposed to wear it I think.
Anyway, with foreign plates you don't have to have the specific type that Italian plated vehicles do so any Hi-Vis waistcoat will do but you will need two. You have to use them when your vehicle breaks down anywhere outside the city/town limits in times of darkness and poor visibility, fog etc. They have to be stored in a place in the car where you can reach them without exiting the vehicle. The vest has to be put on before you exit the vehicle and worn at all times when outside the vehicle. Failure to conform results in about a 35-40 euro fine (plus 2 licence points if you're Italian)
Most people are using them over there and it appears less people have been mowed down than last year so it seems like a good idea for about ten quid.
Got mine... and I hope I don't have to use them.. ever!
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