“Light Up”: Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Emergency Service, National Police and UNICEF launch joint road safety campaign

Last winter in Ukraine, there were over 23,000 road traffic accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities. A significant proportion of these incidents were caused by poor visibility for pedestrians, including children. This issue becomes particularly critical during the autumn-winter period when road visibility decreases and power cuts exacerbate the problem. In response, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the State Emergency Service and UNICEF have launched an information campaign called “Light Up”. The main goal of the campaign is to make reflective elements an essential part of everyday life for citizens.

This was discussed during a press conference at the Media Center Ukraine.

According to Vasyl Bohdan, Head of the Juvenile Prevention Department of the National Police of Ukraine, reflective elements significantly improve pedestrian visibility, especially at night.

He highlighted research showing that the use of reflective elements reduces the likelihood of pedestrian accidents in low-light conditions by up to 85%, which is significant.

Reflective elements are especially important for children’s safety on the road. Bohdan urged parents to make sure their children are equipped with appropriate safety gear. This can include reflective wristbands or armbands, stickers that can be attached to clothing, backpacks, bicycles, scooters, key chains, or pendants for bags and outerwear. Reflective vests and structured belt vests with reflective components are particularly effective and provide maximum visibility on the road. These are especially useful for children riding bicycles or scooters.

He also recommended choosing brightly colored clothing with reflective elements and, whenever possible, clothing, footwear and accessories that already have reflective inserts built in.

In addition, children should be taught to use either a pocket flashlight or a cell phone flashlight for crossing roads in low-light conditions.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news