The figures are devastating. In 2022, 126 pedestrians died on interurban roads in Spain, 11% more than in 2021 (113), according to data published by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). This sad record highlights the importance of people moving along the road being seen by vehicle drivers to avoid accidents.
This is precisely the reason why since July 1, triangles are not mandatory to signal an emergency on a highway or highway. In fact, between 2019 and 2022, 42 people were run over and killed after getting out of the vehicle on this type of road after suffering an accident or breakdown. With this measure adopted at the beginning of summer, the DGT hopes to reduce the number of accidents on highways and highways.
In situations like these, the color of pedestrians' clothing takes on special relevance, especially at night or with reduced visibility. A study carried out by Centro Zaragoza concludes that a pedestrian wearing a light-colored garment is more visible at night than if he is wearing a dark-colored garment, although white is not enough to obtain an acceptable level of visibility.
The safest thing is to wear a reflective garment, according to the conclusions of the report 'Accidents at night' carried out by this vehicle research institute.
To check the distance at which a pedestrian or cyclist can begin to be recognized by a driver at night, the authors of the study conducted a field test. They recreated different night driving situations where the pedestrian or cyclist, depending on the case, wore dark-colored or light-colored clothing and a reflective vest.
We can see it in advance in this infographic published by the Civil Guard on its official profile on X (formerly Twitter).
In this situation, the visual range of a driver driving with the crossing lights of a pedestrian wearing dark clothing is less than 20 meters. Therefore, driving your vehicle at 40 km/h, it would not be possible for you to stop within your visual range.
The pedestrian is seen by the driver of the vehicle at a distance of 40 meters. Therefore, the authors of the study warn, driving their vehicle at 65 km/h would not be possible for the motorist to stop within their visual range.
The visual range of a driver driving with xenon low beam lighting increases slightly compared to halogen lighting. In this way, you can begin to recognize a cyclist in dark clothing at approximately 40 meters.
In this situation, the importance of a pedestrian or cyclist wearing reflective clothing is highlighted, since the visual range of a driver driving with crossing lighting is more than 150 meters. Thus, even when a vehicle is traveling at 100 km/h, it can be stopped within the visual range of its driver.
Centro Zaragoza highlights how the 'Night Vision' night vision system provides a significant advantage to drivers in terms of road safety. It is an ADAS (advanced driving assistance system) that improves the driver's visibility in the dark, displaying a real-time image of the vehicle's surroundings on the windshield or dashboard, with a range of 100 to 500 meters.
After the tests carried out to prepare the study, there is no doubt that 'Night Vision' is a valuable tool to improve road safety in conditions of reduced visibility. This system allows the driver to anticipate possible obstacles and dangers on the road, thus reducing the risk of accidents.
