Statistics

40 Days Left

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Safety reflector season has started and the days are zipping by. Most of all we notice it because of how much earlier it gets dark every day. Here in Chicago, we are losing one minute a day. One week I pick up kids after their activities and it is not so dark. The next week it is pitch black and I’m thinking of which Halloween safety reflectors to get them tis year. Have you too been surprised how fast it goes?

Are You Ready?

I got an email today “65 Days Until Black Friday! Are You Ready?” Bah, no, I’m not. funflector.com is ready, we are already shipping orders for stocking stuffers, but not me personally. The kids are still going to school in shorts and it is hard to find (real) fall leaves to use for photo props.  So how can I be ready for what’s beyond Thanksgiving? We are busy with Halloween safety. Very busy! Last week, we came across some statistics that stated that four times as many kids are killed in traffic on Halloween as on any other night during the year. Four times—that’s a lot and we don’t want to stand on the sideline to see that happen any more.

Do your kids prefer reflective tape or Halloween reflectors?
Do your kids prefer reflective tape or Halloween reflectors?
…

40 Days LeftRead More »

40 Days Left Read More »

Only 50%… Only?

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Why do people often think that reflectors are only for kids? Adults walking or biking in the dark are also very difficult to see for drivers. Adults are out after dark more often than kids. Adults, who have had a couple of beers can be unpredictable pedestrians. So what are the good excuses for adults not to wear reflectors? In Sweden, traffic safety is a big thing—that’s where Volvo comes from after all—and the attitude is sooooo different from what we encounter in the US. At the glimling office, we love to discuss cultural differences and here is such a beautiful example on the Swedish view of pedestrian safety.

Half full or half empty?
Half full or half empty?

We found an article by the Swedish insurance company  Trygg Hansa, stating: “Only half of adult Swedes wear reflectors”—wow, how impressive! With American eyes, the glass is half full, but the choice of the word “only” shows that the Swedish insurance company Trygg-Hansa, who conducted the survey, thinks the glass is half empty. Wow—half the adults and 90% of kids up to the age of 12 wear reflectors.  WOW!—and they label it “only.” As we have written earlier, about 30% of Finns wear reflectors and even that greatly reduces the number of accidents. How many Americans? Not even 1%…
The funflector team

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Bicycle Season :)

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Bicycle season is in full swing! We use our bikes almost every day, and we hope you do the same. It improves air quality, your health and your wallet. “1 World, 2 Wheels” is mainly targeting the many short trips we make with cars. With the right attitude, many can replace car trips under two miles with a bike ride. Not all, but many! I’ve pledged 28 miles a week, which is about one errand a day –  to the coffee shop, the library, the bank, the UPS-store or the Little League baseball field. How many of your car rides could you replace with bike rides? Once you’ve got used to biking, getting into the car is no fun!

The go by bike challenge 2011
The go by bike challenge 2011

We’ve been pouring over web sites and accident statistics about bicyclist and pedestrian issues during the last week and are amazed how many initiatives are out there to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. And improvements are very much needed! According to Transportation for America, the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed from 2000 through 2009, “is the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing roughly every month”. Additionally, a pedestrian gets injured every 7 minutes. Those are scary numbers!

Bicycle season is in full swing on the North Shore Bicycle Path in Lake County IL
Bicycle season is in full swing on the North Shore Bicycle Path in Lake County IL

But there is good news too! It helps to wear a helmet while cycling!!! The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute states that during 2008, 98% (!!) of 714 bicyclists in fatal accidents where not wearing helmets.  (And yet, only every other (50%) bicyclist wears a helmet for at least some trips and 35 % use them for all or most trips).  The National Safety Council has declared June to be National Safety Month. This week is focused on “Summer Safety“. And guess what? Whether you are skateboarding, inline skating or biking: Wear a helmet! It really reduces the severity of injuries if you happen to end up in an accident. Amazed by the numbers, we talked to George at George Garner Cyclery in Northbrook, IL to learn what to think about when choosing safety gear. We got a lot of information, that we’ll share with you in a separate  blog post.
There are two parts to bicycle safety. One is the personal responsibility on safety gear and safe biking. The second is of course a lot of improvements that need to be made to policies, infrastructure planning, and education as well.

The Pededestrian and Bicycle Information Center has plenty of information on all of these topics. If you live in the Chicago area, you can join the Active Transportation Alliance. It is very active in all aspects of making bicycling, walking and public transit safe, convenient and fun.
Enjoy your bike ride but stay safe!
Elisabeth

Bicycle Season :) Read More »

Starting the Month of Halloween with Some Scary Reading

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The other night, at 10 pm,  I asked a guy walking his dog on the sidewalk if he didn’t want to get a fun reflector. “We are never out in the dark!”, was his serious answer. The sun set at 6:44 that day. I could not help cracking up. We get that answer fairly often, but this was in the funniest of circumstances. The fact is, that most of us are out in the dark even if we didn’t plan to. October is knocking on the door and the days are getting shorter and shorter. Do you belong to those that believe you are never out in the dark?

I’ve dug through some Halloween statistics and they are scarier reading than any Halloween story. The statistics are NOT on your side if you are out between 6 PM and 3 AM. In 2008, 61 % of the fatal pedestrian accidents occurred during those dark hours! Adding the three often dark morning hours, 3-6 AM, brings the numbers up to a whopping 70%—seventy percent!

You have probably figured out that I will tell you to wear a pedestrian reflector. Yes—and no. Wear at least two!  That increases your visibility from multiple directions.

A question that we often get is “Are they really powerful enough to do much good?”  Yes, reflectors like the funflector™ tags that fulfill the European standard EN13356, do improve the numbers by a lot. Data from Finland, where  30-40% of the pedestrians wear reflectors, show that for every accident during the bright hours, there is only one at night. In the US there are more than two.

In summary, if a third of American pedestrians had worn reflectors, the fatal pedestrian accidents at night could have been cut in half! In 2008, about 1,500 lives would have been saved, in 2007 about 1,600, in 2006….

When did you last get a life insurance for a couple of bucks? One that is even fun to wear!

There is a lot more numbers to pull out, but let’s stop here before our heads start spinning too much…

Elisabeth

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