Day of Light: See and be seen

Campaign ambassador Miss Switzerland 2016 Lauriane Sallin shows how to be visible in road traffic.

At night and in rain and snow, visibility is severely limited. 90 % of the information in traffic is received via the eye. For this reason, the risk of accidents at dusk and night is three times higher than in daylight, and ten times higher in fog or snowfall. Some road users are particularly affected by this. "Many road users are not aware that being seen is just as important for safety as being able to see," explains Brigitte Buhmann, Director of the bfu - Swiss Council for Accident Prevention. In addition, visibility is often misjudged, which leads to too little being done for visibility.

Increase visibility
In the winter months, people usually wear dark clothing, which can be dangerous for so-called vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Drivers can see pedestrians and cyclists in the light of their headlights from about 25 meters. If they wear light-colored clothing, the distance increases to 40 meters, and with light-reflecting materials even to 140 meters. There are plenty of suitable accessories: luminous vests, arm or ankle bands, luminous material for caps and school bags make it possible to be seen early on from every side. Cyclists should also make sure their lights are intact, preferably with parking lights. For their part, motorists should be doubly careful, have their eyesight checked regularly, and ensure that car headlights are working properly.

Sensitization of the population
All over the country, the police are carrying out campaigns on November 3 on the occasion of the Day of Light to raise awareness among the population. Lauriane Sallin, Miss Switzerland 2016, is taking part in the campaign twice over: on the one hand, she is the face of the Campaign SEE YOU of the Freiburg police. On the other hand, she encourages road users to make themselves visible in the form of a short message. In a special photo shoot for the "See you - make yourself visible" campaign, photos were taken with the beauty queen that leave no doubt: Light-reflecting accessories increase safety and are elegant at the same time!

The most important tips at a glance
For pedestrians:

• Wear clothes with light-reflecting materials visible all around
• Wear light-reflecting accessories especially on moving body parts (legs, arms)

For cyclists:

• Equip the bicycle with lights and reflectors at the front and rear, as well as with reflectors on the pedals (as required by law).
• Check the lighting regularly
• Wear clothes and accessories with light-reflecting materials, like the pedestrians

For drivers:

• Adapt the driving style to visibility and weather conditions
• Have your own eyesight checked regularly
• Clear the front, rear and side windows of ice and snow, make sure they are not fogged up.

Source: bfu