Tuesday, November 1, 2011

An Illuminated Safety Vest - A Basic Essential For Everyone

By Mahalia Kaup


All our family members are into sports. We either go biking, jogging, hiking, swimming or playing tennis. We want to be fit and active all the time. In view of the fact that we want to continue having a fit and healthy lifestyle, we make certain that we are secured when doing these activities, biking or jogging on the road in particular. We ride our bikes around the neighborhood even until the sun has set. This hobby has been our family's favorite since my son was still young. Though this wasn't so far from the present time, we did not wear anything to keep us safe. We immediately sat on our bikes and rode off! Things today, however, have changed all that.

I hate to say it, but it is dangerous out there - cars whizzing by at break neck speed, and not being watchful enough. Whenever you're in your car, practice defensive driving, the same goes for biking and jogging. Even though I prefer doing these activities on the hills and alleyways, there are risks still. So to minimize the possibility of an injury, I insist that all family members wear a helmet, and a reflective vest, especially if the activity is at dawn, dusk or evening. Oftentimes, we avoid the road at nights.

There are more precautionary measures you can take to ensure your safety on the road. Evidently the point is to avoid getting involved in road accidents. You don't want to go unnoticed on the road, therefore a headlight on your bike will help. There are also helmet lights that aid you on your level of vision so you can be aware that the driver of the approaching car sees you. There are many countries that require bells on bikes, so adding a horn is a good idea. If you have to take off, slow down so that the incoming car won't hit you. Be careful of drivers emerging from parking lots, don't drive on pedestrian lanes, don't oppose traffic, at a stop light stay beside the car and not behind it so that other motorists can see you, look at your side mirrors before taking a turn, at all times look behind you first before you move, do not crisscross in traffic or parking lots, and never forget to use signals before turning. If you ride at night, make certain you have a headlight and a blinking taillight. Wear a vest with reflectors. Pick wide streets, streets with less traffic and alleys during weekends. Obeying the traffic laws and making sure you have the proper protective gear and equipment will give you the best possible odds of avoiding injury.

Several safety measures for biking are similar for jogging. A suit with reflectors is what you should wear, do not use your earphones (valid for biking also), and be vigilant of the atmosphere around you. Sharing the road with traffic whether you are a jogger or biker also presents the hazard of respiratory problems due to the fumes from exhaust. You can breathe in plenty of carbon monoxide in just a short time including dust and fragments. However, at times people have no other alternatives.

So the best thing to do is to protect yourself as much as you can and the one of the best ways is to make sure you are seen on the road and an orange or yellow reflective vest will provide safe visibility.




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