Austrians test reflective vests – the results are disastrous

The Austrian Automobile Club (ÖAMTC) has tested reflective vests that are used on the road in emergency situations, such as when a car breaks down unexpectedly.

The results are alarming: many of them reflect almost no light at all and are nearly invisible at night.

This gives users a false sense of security, whether it's a nighttime car breakdown, an accident, or pedestrians and cyclists who want to be safe in the dark.

The good news is that the reflective vests provided by car manufacturers are reliable. The problem lies with those purchased online.

Of the 25 safety vests tested, only 10 passed the test, while 15 of them had insufficient or no reflection, making them practically invisible in the dark.

Of the 20 models ordered online, only a small portion provided good visibility, while the 5 vests purchased secretly in physical stores, such as supermarkets and discount stores, all turned out to be of good quality. This means that 75 percent of the vests ordered online were unsafe.

When buying online, you should check whether the standard EN ISO 20471 for adults or EN 17353 for children is mentioned. Vests sold in physical stores usually have the appropriate label sewn into them.

You can use a flashlight or phone flash: if you direct the light at eye level and the vest reflects white light from a distance of about three meters, then it is functional.

A quality safety vest should be visible from low beam headlights at a distance of over 100 meters at night. If there is no reflection, visibility drops to just a few meters, putting the wearer's life at risk.

Ironically, poor quality vests are no longer cheap – many of them were even more expensive than those that met safety standards. /Telegraph/