Dark colors are so slimming

  • Published
  • By 412th Test Wing Ground Safety
  • Edwards AFB
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Basic black is such a slimming color. At night, blue and red are also too dark for drivers to see and stop in time.

If you are wearing black or dark blue, even a car going only 20 mph would not see you in time to stop. Wear bright colors and you can be spotted in time by those going 40 mph. Not that this guarantees they will actually notice you as they drive while texting, but at least basic physics gives you a chance to be spotted versus no chance at all. If you are commuting home, running errands, or going out to eat after dark in the winter, switch to a light-colored coat. Parking lots and urban intersections are deathly to these casual pedestrians in the dark.

Wear a reflective vest or other highly reflective material, and even the speedsters going 60 mph can see you in time to stop. Most casual walkers/runners disdain wearing reflective items - it simply doesn't match the rest of their ensemble. But, if you are a fitness walker/runner, you should wear a reflective vest and/or reflective clothing as part of your exercise gear. Wear a hat and pack that have reflective iron-on patches and pants and jacket that have reflective strips designed into them. Rather than wearing only one small reflective patch, you really need a full outline of reflective piping so drivers know they are looking at a moving human.

Have a reflective vest handy to quickly slip on for night walking. The vests usually come as one-size-fits-most. The reflective strips on front and back provide safety. If you get one in orange it provides day safety as well.

Wearing a headlamp or carrying a flashlight can help you spot road hazards, as well as help oncoming drivers spot you as a moving human. You may feel it's unnecessary in urban areas that have streetlamps, until you come to an area that lacks them.

All pedestrian safety experts say to use the sidewalk or a path separate from the street rather than walking/running in the street or bike lane after dark. This is good standard advice.

At times sidewalks also have hazards such as deep shadows due to streetlamps being blocked by trees or tripping hazards like tree roots and curbs.

When forced to walk/run in the street, it is best to walk/run on the same side as oncoming traffic. If you are walking on a one-way street, choose the one where you are going the opposite direction as traffic.