Stylish and Safe Biking
Yesterday it happened in the nick of time, my son was barely hit by a speed pedelec. Shocked, but unharmed, we got into our car, parked next to a busy street.
It was only later that evening that I realized what we had escaped from.
Cycling is no longer what it was.
Years ago I biked to school myself.
Chatting quietly with my friends on the bike.
Now, years later, traffic has become much busier and the users of the cycle path have also changed.
There are still “normal cyclists”, adults and children riding at a calm speed of 12 to 15 km/h. In addition, there are the cargo bikes, which occupy the entire width of the cycle path. There are electric bicycles limited at 25 km /h and recently also Speed Pedelecs that can reach up to 40 km/h speed.
Today’s cycle paths are not only more crowded, they also ride at very different speeds. The traffic is getting busier, the waiting times longer, everyone wants to be on time. This ensures that people get stressed and reckless. Because yes, that is what stress does to the body.
The sympathetic nervous system releases adrenaline and noradrenaline, which causes a “fight or flight response”. Cortisol is released from the adrenal cortex, resulting in increased blood sugar and increased metabolism. The brain reacts to this with an increased focus. This leads to increased and faster responses to events in the environment, but thoughtful acting is reduced at the same time.*
Trough this jungle of traffic I have to bring my son to school safely every day.
This has made me wonder…
I cannot change anything about the traffic jungle.
What I can do, is teach my son, even though he is just a toddler, about the dangers of traffic. Learn him how to behave: walking on the footpath, that is gray, cycling on the cycle path, that is red.
I can also ensure that he is well noticed by other road users.
How do we do that?
Indeed!
With Fluo!
He is noticed faster by wearing carefully placed fluorescent accents in his clothing!
Research has shown that 1 in 3 children (34.8%) between 3 and 11 years old become a victim to traffic accidents on their way to or from school. **
Children are especially vulnerable during the dark winter months.
Fluorescent and reflective pieces in clothing ensure that a child is visible at 150m for upcoming cars. With normal clothing the visibility is only 20 to 50 meters, depending on the color.
Do you know that a car driving at 50 km /h needs 26 meters to stop?
You can realize that it is impossible to stop in time if a child in dark clothing suddenly crosses the street …
These days, mommy’s also enjoy driving to work by bike.
Only the clothing that makes you feel comfortable on a bike, feels usually not so comfortable in a meeting.
Imagine that it was possible to comfortably make your morning bike ride and then immediately start your working day, without feeling sweaty and totally dressed-up.
Amazing, right?