As night falls earlier and earlier as winter approaches, motorists must be extra vigilant… And parents too.
We know that when winter approaches, the days get shorter and the weather tends to become a little more gloomy. As a result, the sun sets early, giving way to night, sometimes even as early as 5 p.m. For motorists, motorcyclists and cyclists who travel on the roads in the middle of the night or in gray weather, the lack of light affects their visual field, particularly near the roadway. You have certainly already experienced this: in these conditions, it is more difficult to distinguish a possible obstacle or danger on the sides. What if it was a child who was on the road, ready to cross, could you anticipate it? Some people would probably answer “yes”. Except that one detail is important at this time of year: the color of the clothes we wear.
The importance of wearing the right color of clothing in winter
In the photo montage, published by the British company specializing in first aid Mini First Aid Manchester, which you see below, two images show the same child at the side of a road during a gloomy evening. On the top one, we can see the child very clearly thanks to his bright yellow coat, his headgear and his shoes which are in light colored tones. On the other hand, in the bottom image, we have the impression that the child has disappeared when no, he is there, in the same place, but this time he is wearing dark colored clothes. If you zoom in, you can see the shadow of his feet and head.
This image certainly makes you speechless and that’s precisely the goal! The take-home message behind this road safety campaign is to be careful to wear brightly colored clothing when it is dark when leaving work, school or your sports club. Because dark-colored clothing (black, brown, navy blue, dark green, etc.) is not visible or difficult to see in the dark. To prevent this type of danger in this weather, children can also carry a schoolbag or sports bag with reflective strips on their back. These are details that make all the difference, both for drivers and users!