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On foot, bike or scooter, be visible both day and night.
Last year, 54% of the victims killed on roads in Luxembourg were so-called vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists). Winter is by far the most dangerous season. So we need to take precautions and ensure that we are visible in all circumstances.
According to statistics from Sécurité Routière, the Luxembourg-based road safety organisation, two-thirds of all collisions between a vehicle and a pedestrian occur in the dark. Unfortunately, winter is one of the deadliest times of the year. In 2020, 15 serious or fatal accidents between a car and a pedestrian took place in winter, most of them when daylight starts to fade.
Pedestrians can make themselves more visible on the road with a few simple actions. At the risk of stating the obvious, pedestrians have no protection other than their own clothes, which is obviously inadequate for a collision with a motor vehicle.
Pedestrians do not have absolute priority at pedestrian crossings. Check to make sure that it is safe to enter the roadway. Similarly, common sense dictates that pedestrians should walk on the pavement or, if there is no pavement, on the shoulder of the road. If you are walking along a road outside a built-up area, choose the left side facing oncoming traffic.
Reflect on your clothes
As temperatures drop and the days get shorter, people tend to wear darker clothes. But to be visible at night, pedestrians need to reflect the light from car headlights. This calls for light-coloured clothing and retroreflective material, which reflects light back to its source, on clothing, bags, backpacks and shoes.
At night, a driver can only see a pedestrian at a distance of 30 metres if they are dressed in dark clothing, 50 metres if they are dressed in light-coloured clothing and more than 150 metres if they are kitted out with retroreflective strips.
Cyclists are just as vulnerable as pedestrians and they are also encouraged to follow the same rules as walkers and runners. Helmets and safety vests are also strongly recommended.
All the security clothes and accessories are available in the ACL Shop or in Lëtzshop.