DriveSmartBC: Dress to be Seen After Dark
By DriveSmartBC
Few people leave their homes without paying some attention to how they are dressed. When we choose our clothing suit our personality are we thinking about how we will appear to other road users when we are pedestrians after dark? The right choice of clothing for your next walk at night could be critical!
About two thirds of pedestrian fatalities occur at night. This is probably because research indicates that pedestrians can be very difficult for drivers to see after dark. A pedestrian in dark clothing at night will not be seen in time to stop if the driver is using low beam headlights and travelling faster than 60 km/h.
There is a 5 year average (June 2024) of 54 pedestrians killed and 2,266 pedestrians injured in crashes on BC roads each year. ICBC does not include time of day data for these crashes on their website.
We tend to underestimate that we are difficult to see in the dark. Our ability to recognize something decreases rapidly with falling light levels and drivers need it to find and identify pedestrians.
Visual guidance abilities such as walking through a darkened room remain effective, lulling us into thinking that we are more visible than we really are. Critically, we may overestimate by as much as triple the safe distance.
How do you increase your chances of being seen and be identified as a pedestrian? A reflective vest is better than dark clothing, but reflective material positioned at the major joints of the body (ankles, knees, waist, shoulders, elbows and wrists) is even better. This will show “biological motion” and allow the driver to decide “human” far more quickly.
Story URL: https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/
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