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Equinox 2021 – Shorter Days are Coming

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Where did the summer go? Tomorrow, September 22, 2021, is already equinox, the day when day and night are equally long. From there on, the days are rapidly getting shorter, making it harder to avoid being out in the dark. Last weekend, we had a furry visitor and we barely managed to take the post-dinner walk before it was pitch black. Just in the last week Chicago has lost 21 minutes of sunlight, 13 in the evening and 8 in the morning. Today, the sun rises at 6:37am and is gone again at 6:47pm. It’s hard to adjust your schedule when the light is changing that rapidly, even for us who are tracking it meticulously. Over the summer, we were a little lazy and did not always bring safety reflectors, but that has to change now. Equinox also means safety reflector season because who wants to get caught unseen in the dark? Better seen than sorry!

Safety reflectors are must-haves for dog walkers and dogs alike now when the nights will be longer than the days.

Is a reflective dog leash bright enough?

Using a reflective dog leash is great, but as you can see in the video above, the funflector safety reflectors are brighter. Of course, it depends on what quality and how much reflective material the leash has, so test yours so you know. The brighter the reflectors the further away the drivers can see you. This is particularly important along streets with faster traffic. Our leash might be bright enough on a residential street with very slow traffic, but for a highway, we need more reflective power. We like to hang one reflector in each end of the leash for extra safety.

Red and black ninja safety reflector by funflector
The reflector hanging on the dog leash in the video is a ninja. Available here.

The dog walker needs to be seen too! We have plenty of reflectors hanging on our jacket zipper pulls, but that is of little use when it’s too warm for jackets. So this time of year, reflective slap wraps are the most practical solution. They only take a second to slap on and are easy to wear for walkers, runner and bicyclists.

The funflector team

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Fall Safety

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High viz without #highviz colors. #bicycle and #pedestrian #safety with #style because it's better to be seen than sorry! #reflectivegear

Reminders to move the clocks back were many when daylight saving time ended a couple of days ago. What few talked about is that we now have one more dark hour in the afternoon with higher risk for pedestrian and bicycle crashes. In Time, we can read “Adding an hour of sunlight in the evening year-round would save the lives of more than 170 US pedestrians annually, according to a 2004 study in Accident Analysis and Prevention.” Since that is not happening anytime soon, we all need to make sure we are visible in traffic, especially when it’s dark.

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Fall SafetyRead More »

Fall Safety Read More »

Snowflakes

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Snowflakes are amazing creations. It’s mind-boggling that they are all different. At a time when large parts of the USA and Canada are buried under inches of snow and the northeast is expecting snowmageddon tonight, the uniqueness of each snowflake is hard to comprehend.

Follow funflector’s board Snowflakes on Pinterest.

Snowflake Safety Reflector

The funflector® snowflake pedestrian recflector is currently our bestseller. We’ve shipped to places with and without snow. Could it be that some northerners living in southern states miss snowy winters?

Stylish snowflake safety reflector for walking, running and bicycling.
Stylish snowflake safety reflector for walking, running and bicycling. Thanks Mae, you look fabulous!

We have noticed how unshoveled sidewalks make people choose to walk or run in the streets more often. Please don’t do that between dusk and dawn without any reflective gear! The icy/snowy roads make stopping hard and when the roads are lined with ploughed-up snow there is nowhere to go. No driver wants to hit pedestrians, but many walkers, runners and bikers are too difficult to see  in the dark and crashes sadly happen . 7 out of 10 American pedestrian crashes happen at night and that number could be greatly reduced with reflectors! Mae is a Chicago area realtor  and often out and about in the dark. We think she made a fabulous choice for her purse, don’t you?

As you can see above, we have collected some pretty snowflakes on our pinterest board. Many of them, we’ve found on snowcrystals.com where we were surprised to learn that there are over 30 types of snowflakes. Some of the shapes you would not necessarily think of as being snowflakes. The funflector® snowflake pedestrian reflector is of the type “stellar dendrite” which means “tree like”.

We wish for all our readers in the northeast to ride out the snow storm safely and patiently. When the wind has mellowed out and before the cabin fever get’s to you, it’s time to go outside and be amazed by nature’s artwork!

The funflector team

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500+ Feet Visibility!

/ reflector basics, traffic safety / , , , ,

Good reflectors should make pedestrians visible from a distance of 125 meters (410 feet), but we wanted to know if we could see our funflector® reflectors from even further away. Would they meet the 500 feet visibility target?
However, first let us be clear about why we care so much about safety reflectors:

That is how much of a difference reflectors make!
We found a dark street, straight for over 500 feet and with very little traffic. Here is what we saw of a pedestrian facing us with two reflectors hanging from front belt loops.The first image below was captured at 600 feet. We are very excited and pleased with the result since it is very important for us to provide as much safety as possible for our customers. A note of caution though: reality is rarely staged like this, so please wear at least two reflectors, but place one back and one front – OR- one left and one right. You never know exactly how you will be turned the moment the driver needs to see you! Alternatively, put a slap bracelet around your ankle, the visibility from all directions is pretty good unless you carry bags in your hands that hang low down.

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500+ Feet Visibility! Read More »

Have a Fun and Safe Halloween!

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Only one week to Halloween (where did October go?) and new Halloween decorations are popping up every day in the neighborhood. Are you planning for a safe Halloween? All over the country, funflector safety reflectors are popping up in people’s mail boxes. If you want some in your’s before Halloween, please order today, tomorrow or Wednesday before noon (central time)!

Funflector Halloween safety reflectors
Funflector Halloween safety reflectors


To make it easier and quicker to order our most popular Halloween safety reflectors, we’ve bundled the Jack O’Lantern, the white ghost and the orange cat and give you $4 off compared to buying them separately! The glimling webshop has all the details.

By the way, did you know that the funflector reflectors are official Must-Haves at Modern Mom? And, we totally agree with Lauren at parenting.com about reflective tape!

Modern Mom awarded funflector with their "must-have" seal :)
Modern Mom awarded funflector with a “must-have” seal 🙂


Recently, we wrote about how to attach Halloween reflectors to costumes. If you don’t want to tape the reflectors to swords and light sabers, wands or broom sticks, you can put a (strong) rubber band around and then slip the chain through.
From our friend and funflector fan Beth, we got a cute duck tape candy corn candy bag. Instead of putting reflective tape on the handle, she made a loop for her funflector and taped the loop to the outside of the bag! While in craft mode, you might want to check out this milk jug skeleton by the Party Animal. We are up to five jugs, so soon, we’ll get started on ours! How is yours coming along?

fun safety reflectors for a safe halloween
Duck Tape bag with Halloween safety reflectors
The DIY milk jug skeleton by Party Animal
The DIY milk jug skeleton by Party Animal

Have fun and safe Halloween!  – the funflector team

ultra bright funflector safety reflectors to hang on costumes for a safe halloween
Don’t worry, photoshop helps us keep our models safely on the ground!

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Funflector® Safety Reflectors on Halloween Costumes

/ traffic safety / , , , , , , , ,

“Funflector® tags are so much more fun than reflective tape, but how do I attach them to Halloween costumes?“ is a question we often get this time of year. Four times as many kids get killed in traffic  on Halloween than on any other night of the year! That’s why Good Morning America urged everyone to put reflectors on Halloween Costumes. The funflector® tags will do the trick! They are high quality pedestrian reflectors, fulfilling the European standard E13356, which means they can be visible to drivers from about 400 ft.

Fun-to-wear life saver: Ghost safety reflector from our webshop. Also available in white, pink & blue
Fun-to-wear life saver: Ghost safety reflector from our webshop. Also available in white, pink & blue


Here is a recap of what we wrote last year about attaching reflectors to Halloween costumes:
The ball chains that come with funflector® tags are meant to be attached to zipper pulls and loops. So what do you do when the robe of your grim reaper has none of that?

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Funflector® Safety Reflectors on Halloween CostumesRead More »

Funflector® Safety Reflectors on Halloween Costumes Read More »

Favorite Places to Put Fun Safety Reflectors 4 – on My Bike

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We love to hang funflector® safety reflectors on our bikes! We have shamrock reflectors to show off our Irish heritage (or just to ask for that extra luck that’s needed when drivers are busy texting), heart reflectors to show the world that we love our bike rides and baseball reflectors for our Cubs fans (we do have some of those around here). We still need bike lights though!

Bicycle with lights and extra safety reflectors
Red rear reflector, which doubles as rear light, and wheel reflectors should be standard on all bikes.


The funflector safety reflectors are on the bike for fun and under the heading “the more the merrier-” every reflector increases the chances of getting home safely at night. However, bikes are normally moving faster than pedestrians, so bicyclists need stronger reflectors than pedestrians. Also, in many states,  you need a red rear reflector and bike LIGHTS to be a law abiding bicyclist.
The other night, I approached an intersection and a bicyclist was crossing. The spinning wheel reflectors were the first thing we saw of him or her.  It’s quite spectacular and hard to miss! And boy, did I use that opportunity to give my kids another lesson on reflectors! So many times,
I’ve been surprised while driving by totally dark bicyclists—dark cloths, dark bikes, neither lights nor reflectors. I think I would use lights and reflectors even if they were illegal, just to do everything possible to come home safely.

Bicycle with lights and shamrock safety reflector
White front reflector and pedal reflectors should also be standard. A dynamo powers this front light.


Anyway, when we talked with George Garner abut bike helmets at George Garner Cyclery last month, we also used the opportunity to check out his bike lights and other night time safety products, so here is “Advice from a pro, Part 2” :
Every bike that leaves the cyclery, has a set of reflectors, which include:
– white front facing reflector
– red rear facing reflector
– wheel reflectors
– pedal reflectors, facing both front and back
These reflectors are usually hard prismatic reflectors that withstand the elements well. If your bike is missing these, they are easy and inexpensive to replace.

Set of good bike lights from Planet Bike
Set of good bike lights from Planet Bike


In addition to reflectors, you need lights, front and rear, when biking in the dark. Which lights to choose depends on where you go and how fast you ride. Is it enough for drivers to see you or do you need lights to light up your path? Most lights use LED’s as they make the battery last for up to 100 hours of run time. Prices range from $35 to $65 for a set of front and back lights that are sufficient for most bicyclists. For the avid off road biker, powerful lights with rechargeable battery systems are available on special order.
So, now you are all set with a well fitted helmet, reflectors and lights. Go and check your brakes (seriously!) and you are ready to cruise along into the summer nights.
Have a fun and safe ride!
Elisabeth

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Favorite Places to Put Fun Reflectors 3 – on Halloween Costumes

/ thoughts, traffic safety / , , , , ,

The number one Halloween hazard by far is kids being hit by cars. That’s what we were told on Good Morning America the other day where they urged everyone to attach safety reflectors on Halloween Costumes. The funflector® safety reflectors will do the trick! They are high quality reflectors, fulfilling the European standard E13356, which means they can be visible to drivers from about 500 ft. Earlier this week, we did a funflector fundraiser at a local preschool. One of the teachers, who had happened to drive by during the photo session along the highway commented: “Wow, were they bright! Now, I really understand how useful the safety reflectors are.”

Best Halloween safety tips - attach safety reflectors to your costume
We have equipped this nasty witch for Halloween with several high quality reflectors!

The ball chains that come with funflector® safety reflectors are meant to be attached to zipper pulls and loops. So what do you do when the robe of your grim reaper has none of that?

Attach Safety Reflectors with Safety Pins

Even if we don’t recommend it for everyday use, safety pins allow us to temporarily put the reflectors wherever we’d like them. Put the safety pin through the seam (through as many layers as possible) of the garment to avoid the Halloween costumes tearing and reflectors getting lost. Low down is good—that’s where headlights shine the most. On the witch’s dress, we attached it at the bottom of the side seam to let the funflector® safety reflector dangle below the hemline. With one cat on each side, she should be visible from all directions.

Attach safety reflectors with a safety pin
Our witch is wearing one of her black cats at ankle height. It dangles nicely below the hemline making her visible from multiple directions.

Attach Safety Reflectors on Mesh Material

It is easy to stick the chain through the mesh material that some costumes are made with. Put it through several layers or around a seam to avoid ripping. The witch’s hat has a large bow made from mesh material, so we just put it through several layers.

Attach safety reflectors in the mesh material of the Halloween costume
Attach safety reflectors in the mesh material. Put the chain through several layers for strength.

Attach Safety Reflectors on Belts and Straps

Many costumes have a belt. If the belt is too wide for the ball chain, put a loop made from a piece of string around the belt and slip the ball chain trough the loop. Please DO NOT replace the chain with a string! The chain is designed to break if it gets firmly hooked on something, so that the wearer doesn’t become stuck. A strong string may harm your child.

Attach Safety Reflectors on Eyelets

Our witch’s dress has some eyelets on the front which came in very handy for a few more safety reflectors.

Attach safety reflectors through the holes of any eyelets.
Attach safety reflectors through the holes of any eyelets.

Attach Safety Reflectors with Tape

The ball chain can also be taped to handles of light sabers, scythes, brooms, swords or magic wands, alerting drivers when your kids are busy fending off evil spirits on the loose.

Beyond that, use your imagination and common sense to find suitable places to attach reflectors and let us know what original ways you come up with! The glimling team wishes you a fun and safe Halloween. 🙂

Elisabeth

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Favorite Places to Put Fun Safety Reflectors 2 – On My Dog

/ traffic safety / , , ,

Although one of my daughters often has asked “When will I get a dog” (noticed the lack of “if”?), we have no dog in our house. Three kids and a small house is quite a handful as it is. Sorry for the misleading headline…  Luckily, Maggie, one of our cool glimling blog dogs, lives just around the corner. Maggie is a lab, a black lab, and a great model for dog safety reflector. With her pitch plack fur, a dog safety reflector looks extra cool on her—and is extra necessary when it gets dark.

safety reflector on dog and cars in the dark
In the dark, drivers will see the safety reflector long before the dog.

When Maggie was a puppy and too little for these reflectors, her owner tied a few of them along the leash instead. One evening a neighbor came home and slowed down to almost no speed while they were walking along the street. The neighbor was very puzzled by the weird dangling lights. She could not figure it out until she had stopped the car, rolled down the window and asked.

Black dog carrying safety reflectors
Maggie helped us decorate the bushes for Halloween with some ghost and cat funflector® safety reflectors.

Today, Maggie is no longer a small puppy, so she wears the reflectors on her collar. For Halloween, she picked the Jack O’lantern. Maggie was also very excited helping pick out reflectors to hang in the bushes in our yard.

Woof, woof! means Go Wildcats! - Dog with paw print safety reflector.
Woof, woof! means Go Wildcats! Help driver see your dog, why not with a paw print safety reflector.

Dino, who is another friendly neighborhood dog, picked his favorite—the paw of course! Dino and his master like to take long walks and it is not always that they manage to come home before the sun starts to set. A dog safety reflector is a must. In about two weeks, daylight saving time ends and they will loose another hour of afternoon walking time in daylight.

There are many places to put reflectors, but on kids, dogs and adults are certainly the most important ones. Halloween is a night when a lot of kids are out in the dark, so make sure drivers can see them. If you need more funflector safety reflectors for Halloween, you still have a few (but not much more) days to order them so we can ship them. If you are not convinced, please read my blog post about traffic accident statistics—pedestrian reflectors really do save lives!!!

Elisabeth

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Favorite Places to Put Fun Reflectors 1 – On My Kids

/ reflector basics, traffic safety / ,

My kids are precious to me, so of course they get decorated with pedestrian safety reflectors and they love it! We live along a busy highway and need to walk along the sidewalk a couple of hundred feet before we can turn into a quiet street where the school bus stops. Winter mornings are dark, so the reflectors are a great way to tell drivers that there are kids around.

Kids with safety reflectors along busy road
You see them. Do they see you? All school kids should wear some safety reflectors on their jackets and/or backpack for increased safety when waiting for the school bus early mornings or coming home after dark.

Kids Need More Than One Reflector!

At minimum, a pedestrian should wear two reflectors; front and back or left and right. That way the chances for a driver to notice you from any direction are pretty good. Optimal height is 2-4 feet above ground where the car lights are the strongest. Also, the more the reflector dangles, the more attention it creates.

Child with safety reflectors left, front and right for optimal surround visibility.
Child with safety reflectors left, front and right for optimal surround visibility.

Our reflector tags come with ball chains to make them easy to attach to clothes and bags. On the front, the jacket zipper pull is the #1 choice. Jean jackets don’t have zippers, but in most cases the button hole on the front pocket works very well since it is rarely used for anything else.

Horse and heart safety reflectors on school backpack.
Horse and heart safety reflectors on school backpack. Most backpacks have enough zipper pulls to hang several reflectors on.

The back is trickier on jackets, but backpacks, sling or messenger bags frequently have enough zipper pulls, buckles or other places to stick the ball chain through. Normally, we hang two reflectors on each bag, but when my kids are in “collect & trade” mode, there can be many more.

Side pockets of fleece jackets and windbreakers are perfect places to hang safety reflectors!
Side pockets of fleece jackets and windbreakers are perfect places to hang safety reflectors for kids! They also dangle nicely to create more attention.

Some jackets have side pockets with zippers so the reflectors can go left and right. Those are also good for getting the reflectors in the optimal height for the car lights and for dangling nicely below the hem. One of my daughter’s jackets has a clasp meant for ski gloves which instead came in handy for attaching the reflector.

Elisabeth

Safety reflector hanging on kid's jacket
This winter jacket has a clasp for attaching ski mittens to. Perfect for the reflector!

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