Every year, 1.2 million people die from road and traffic injuries. Studies undertaken by

the World Health Organization show that this figure will increase, making road accidents the

third leading cause of premature death by 2020. 

 

Road accidents will kill more people than HIV and Malaria together by 2015 in the whole world. (United Nations)

 

You should wear a Pedestrian Reflector when you go for a walk in the dark. Without one, you are hard to discover for a motorist, both in built-up areas and along country roads. The risk to be hit by a car is 3 times as big in the dark, compared to in daylight. Already at dusk the risk increases. The streetlights are no guarantee you are visible.

 

The risk of getting into an accident in the dark without using reflectors is eight (8) times higher compared to when using one.

 

Most accidents involving pedestrians happen in built-up areas, where the street lights are lit. The street lights make you see where you are heading, but that does not mean that you are very visible. In the dark, the eye has difficulty seeing contrasts, even in lit up streets.

 

That is why you need to be discovered by the drivers. Also, when it is raining, and the road is wet, it becomes even darker. The efficiency of the streetlight is weakened.

 

 

The Pedestrian Reflector is a simple safety device that you attach to your clothing when going for a walk in dark conditions. The most common one is the prism pendant, which is made in different shapes and colours. Another reflector is the “Slap Wrap”, which is a band which with its “roll-up”function is easily placed around a leg or an arm. Perfect when jogging, running, bike riding and walking. There are also varieties for pets. All made according to the European Standard.

 

Reflection means “return of the light image”, and the reflector returns 95% of the light from the head light of a car.

 

This means that:

 

When you wear a reflector, they are visible about 150 meters away at low beam, and about 300 metres away at high beam. That gives the driver enough time to slow down, and pass you safely.

 

If not wearing a reflector, you are hard to see from a distance of more than 25 metres, which is the breaking distance of a car travelling at 50 km’s per hour!

 

The reflector can diminish risks of an accident and is a low cost device to enhance personal safety.

 

How to wear it?

 

The Pedestrian Reflector should be placed low, eg knee high, for maximum visibility. You attach it with a piece of string and a safety pin supplied with the reflector. It should swing freely and be visible to the front and rear, eg on the side of your body. 

 

The retro reflector reflects the light back into direction of the light source.

 

Retro reflectors provide safety only as they are of certain optical quality

 

The measurement of quality: CE EN17353 standard for “High-visibility accessories for non-professional use”, which states the minimum requirements for pedestrian reflectors, for reflecting values, water tightness, markings, etc. The standard requires an extensive testing series, according to which the reflector is tested and after these tests, it still has to obtain the min. requirement of reflecting value, which is 400 C.I.L.. Only CE-certified reflectors can be qualified as reflectors or safety items. All Stavellan Cat’s Eye reflectors are CE EN17353 Certified.

 

 

 

Since the chances of being struck and killed as a pedestrian increase by 1100% after dark, according to the National Safety Council, you should take advantage of the Federal Highway Administration’s statement that reflectorizing has been shown to increase the visibility of a pedestrian by a factor of five. 

 

In the Scandinavian countries, where reflectors have been used by all members of the population since the early ’60’s, the night time pedestrian accident rate is 50% less than in the United States. In the US, over 60% of pedestrian accidents and deaths occur in the dark says the National Safety Council. Wear or carry a reflector beginning today! Be Safe – Be Seen! 

 

 

“Chances of being struck and killed as a pedestrian increase 1100% after dark” – National Safety Council. 

 

“Poor visibility of pedestrians is a major contributing cause of higher nighttimes accident rates” – U.S. Public Health Service. 

 

“In a survey of safety specialists, reflectorization countermeasures were identified as having the highest overall rating as a means for reducing school children accidents during darkness” – U.S. Department of Transportation. 

 

“A person dressed completely in black wearing a thumb sized reflector is detected at longer distances than a person dressed completely in white” 

– Federal Highway Administration. 

 

“8 out of 10 drivers who struck people at night didn’t see them. 90% of motorists who hit people at night are not ticketed for any traffic violations” 

– Indiana State Police Reports.

 

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Program has published a report on “Action Wear: Clothing for Fitness”. The report states that pedestrians walking along a road in dark clothing at night are first seen approximately 55 feet away, giving a driver less than one second reaction time. A driver travelling at 60 mph needs over 260 feet to stop. They list the following colours and visibility distances: BLACK/BLUE – 55 feet; RED – 80 feet; YELLOW -120 feet; WHITE – 180 feet; REFLECTORIZED – 500 feet OR MORE. 

 

Here are facts and figures from safety experts in industry and government, which prove you are safer when you are more visible in the dark – and reflectors increase your visibility instantly! Be Safe – Be Seen! 

 

Nighttime pedestrian accidents and deaths are America’s most preventable tragedies. Over 65% occur in the dark, and reflectors are the only proven method of making pedestrians and cyclists visible at distances sufficient for the motorist to slow down or stop. Consider the following statistics, and make the choice to promote with safety reflectors. Together, we can help reduce this drastic national toll.

 

Studies have proven that the risk of being hit by a motorist in the dark is eight times lower when wearing a safety reflector. The use of reflectors has been shown to increase the visibility of pedestrians by a factor of five.

– Federal Highway Administration 

 

Annually about 5,500 pedestrians and 1,000 cyclists are killed by motor vehicles. 95,000 are injured. Over 60% of accidents occur in the dark.

  – Accident Facts, National Safety Council

 

“More children between the ages 5-14 die as a result of being struck by a motor vehicle than from any other cause, natural or accidental.”

– National Safety Council

 

 

Terminology can be confusing, for many people ask for a “glow” product or “neon sticker” and really want a reflector. Here are all of the terms you need when working with reflectors:

 

Reflector – sometimes called a “retro reflector”, it is a product that actually reflects light from a source back to the eye of the beholder. The source can be headlights or a flashlight. It can be a hard plastic part, a sheet of reflective material, or soft vinyl reflective film fabricated into an unlimited variety of shapes. There are prismatic reflectors and glass bead reflectors, but both reflect light sufficiently to make the wearer visible in the dark up to 500 feet away from the light source, or more.

 

Glow-In-The-Dark or Luminescent. When the lights go out, glow-in-the-dark materials go on. They emit a soft green light that slowly fades as time passes. They are only visible in absolute darkness. Stickers, sign and novelties are most frequent uses for glow-in-the-dark materials or inks. Only sign products are normally used in safety applications.

 

Iridescent – A prismatic film that diffuses light into varied patterns, and normally provides an assortment of prism colours as the direction of viewing changes. Very decorative, it is rarely used in night time visibility safety programs because it does not reflect light.

 

In many countries around the world, reflectors are in widespread use by pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists because they help make the user visible in the dark. In these countries the night tie injury and death rate is in the low 30% range. In the United States, where reflectorization is rarely used, the Federal Highway Administration report a 69% of all pedestrian deaths and injures occur in the dark. Encouraging the distribution of reflectors to people will help make them more visible, and can help provide a lowering of the night time death and injury rate. For example, after ten year of providing New Hampshire school children with reflective dot stickers each Fall, the New Hampshire Highway Safety Department reported a 54% reduction in “in-the-dark” incidents.

 

The Flashlight Trick– Aim a flashlight at the reflector sample you are showing. Make sure they hold the flashlight up at eye level and look along the light beam, aiming the beam at the reflector. When the person sees the reflector it is normal to get an “oooh” or an “ahh”. Point out that this is a flashlight demonstration, and imagine how bright reflectors will be in car or truck headlights.

 

Official 2005 Death and Injury Numbers – The National Safety Council as confirmed by the Federal highway Administration reported 4800 deaths and 95,000 injuries in 2003.

Using the 69% in-the-dark rate, that calculates out to the following tragedy: 8 ½ KILLS per day – 60 per week – 260 per month – 3120 per year. INJURIES: 200 per day – 1235 per week – 5070 per month – 61,750 per year. These are incredible statistics for a problem that is at least partially preventable by getting people of all ages to use reflectors regularly.

 

What’s the right time for a Reflector Safety Promotion? – A promotion to “Light Up Your Life” can go a long way to achieving the goals of a local visibility educational program. The right time for a reflector promotion is anytime. “Just do it”! 

 

 

Stavellan is financially in good standing, owned and managed by Finnish and Norwegian individuals. Stavellan produces pedestrian safety reflectors in Manila, Philippines. All our reflectors are having CE EN17353 approval and for sure on top of the excellent quality and also very competitive with pricing.

 

We guarantee that our pedestrian reflectors are the most competitive in the market with CE EN17353 standard.

 

Stavellan’s reflectors are supporting the sustainable development. Our employees are Filipino women and men, who were unemployed earlier. In addition for manufacturing of the reflector hangers we are employing women from (Villareal, Samar), that is one of the poorest areas in the Philippines.

 

You could be assured, that we do not use child labor in our production.

 

Technology of Finland – Made in the Philippines

 

Our company internet pages you can find from: www.stavellan.com

 

Make a real statement about your company and help make a real difference in your community! Stavellan Cat’s Eye Pedestrian Safety Reflectors offer you an excellent devise to promote your company and its products in a positive way that is also useful to the receiver.

Advertising that promotes traffic safety and helps save lives is appreciated everywhere.

 

How many forms of advertising do you know of that can save lives?

 

 

Nationwide Building Society provides financial services both directly, and through approximately 680 branches and 200 agencies. Nationwide is a major provider of both mortgages and savings in the UK, as well as personal banking and commercial lending.

 

Date issued: 21 Oct 2005

AN EXTRA EYE TO WATCH YOUR KIDS 

Cats’ eyes for kids

As the clocks go back each October, millions of school children makes journeys to and from school in much darker conditions. Nationwide has distributed over 12 million reflectors throughout the United Kingdom. Because we feel so strongly about road safety, we have now pledged to give every new intake child a reflector until 2010.

We have welcomed the recent news that there has been a significant fall in the casualty rate amongst child pedestrians. The recent government announcement revealed a 51% reduction (compared to the 1994-98 baseline average) in child pedestrians killed or seriously injured since 2001. For information on the government announcement on road casualties, please visit www.dft.gov.uk.

By wearing a reflector, a child pedestrian can be visible at 150 metres with low beam headlights compared to only 30 metres without one.

Proof already exists that this scheme could have a dramatic effect on UK child road casualty statistics. Reflectors like this have been keeping children in Nordic countries safer for over 30 years, according to research, eight times safer (source: Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in Finland).

Whilst wearing a reflector is no substitute for good road sense, we know that Cats’ Eyes for Kids has already saved children’s lives in the UK. Nationwide’s commitment to child road safety had been recognised by the presentation of a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

To help increase children’s awareness and understanding of the importance of road safety, Nationwide has also produced some curriculum-linked road safety worksheets, which are available via http://www.nationwide.co.uk/about_nationwide/community_and_environmental_affairs/cats_eyes_for_kids.htm together with links to other useful road safety websites.

Stuart Bernau, executive director at Nationwide, said: “With the return of long winter nights, our children face greater risks on our roads. For the fifth year, we’re delighted to support the government’s successful campaign to reduce the number of child casualties. We are also encouraging children who received reflectors in the last four years to use them again this winter. As a building society, Nationwide has a long tradition of active involvement in communities throughout the UK and there can be no better way of investing in these communities than by protecting the lives of children.”