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An important utensil for school children too: the high-visibility vest
Photo: Dirk Dehmel /Autodoc /DPA
According to a test by the ADAC, high-visibility vests for adults and children are often defective. The motorists' club tested the reflectivity of 14 models. Five of them were considered “totally inadequate” by many, as the ADAC announced. Defective warning vests “are not only life-threatening, they also do not meet the legal requirements of the road traffic regulations and the vehicle is not correctly equipped,” it continues.
High-visibility vests are colored in bright colors for daytime use, and retroreflective strips that reflect incoming light are intended to ensure visibility in the dark. At least that's the theory. In the ADAC's quick test, which only tested the level of reflection, over 30 percent of the 14 vest models purchased online received a grade of "poor."
If you want to be on the safe side when purchasing, you should pay attention to the EN ISO 20471 identifier, which should be on a sewn-in label. This DIN standard defines the requirements and test methods for high-visibility clothing.
Self-test with the flashlight
At the same time, the testers recommend trying it yourself: simply hold a flashlight, the lamp on your smartphone or a headlamp directly next to or in front of your head. A good safety vest should now reflect bright white at a distance of around three meters. Defective vests hardly shine brighter than a white sheet of paper.
High-visibility vests have been mandatory in cars for almost ten years. In the event of an accident or breakdown, they are intended to make people leaving the vehicle more visible to the traffic behind them. Cyclists and children are also better protected in road traffic by well-reflective warning vests.
sak/AFP