Police will hand out hundreds of thousands of reflective tapes

The police will hand out 100,000 reflective tapes to pedestrians next week. It will help them avoid fine.

Pedestrians must wear reflective elements or clothing with reflective elements under reduced visibility. This obligation applies not only outside the commune but also in the commune if they follow the road or road edge.

"Otherwise, pedestrians are invisible and run the risk of colliding with a vehicle, or at best a penalty of up to € 30," said Denisa Balogh, a spokeswoman for the police presidium.

What are reflective and fluorescent materials

Reflective or retro-reflective materials are special materials that can reflect incident light up to a distance of 200 meters.

Reflective material can be seen at night three times longer than white clothing and more than ten times greater than blue clothing.

Fluorescent materials increase visibility in daylight and dusk but lose their function in the dark. The most common colors are bright yellow, green and orange.

Police call for thoughtfulness

During the nine months of this year, police dealt with 808 pedestrian-related accidents, in which 42 died.

A driver who does not see a person on the road in time cannot react quickly enough and avoid it safely.

"Many accidents could have been avoided if drivers or pedestrians adhered to the known traffic rules. Only if we all respect each other and respect each other considerably will our movement on the road or sidewalk be safe," the police spokeswoman warned.

Police will teach pedestrians, in addition to giving away reflective strips, about regulations that will help them to increase their safety on the road next week. They will attend kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. According to Balogh, they will not miss seniors.

Visibility can be enhanced by the appropriate color of clothing and accessories made of fluorescent and reflective materials to increase your light contrast to the background. This will increase the distance the driver can see you.

The combination of different, far-visible materials allows you to see you well in the light and the dark. Reflective vests, interlocking and elastic reflective strips, and multi-colored reflective stickers are available.

Use reflective elements on the side of the body that faces the road, not the side. Place them close to your knees, belt level, or shoulder (cyclists also wearing helmets and bikes). Reflective stickers can be attached to shoe soles, bicycles, skates, helmets, scooters, school bags, crutches or strollers.

Provide children with clothing as well as school bags and accessories equipped with reflective and fluorescent safety features.

Older people should also be made visible. According to the police, they often prefer to wear bold dark colors. "Their reactions on the road are often weakened by older age," Balogh pointed out, adding that the combination of dark clothing, inattention, and alcohol is particularly dangerous.

Exercise caution when walking at the edge of the road and when crossing the road, especially in unlit areas or where there is no footpath

Drivers should also be vigilant and attentive, especially in areas with increased pedestrian movement. Especially around schools, shopping centers, cemeteries and the like.

Police warn: Wear reflective elements

It is darker in the morning and fogs are more common. Early evening is getting darker. The roads are wet, slippery and soon fallen leaves will appear on them.

"Pedestrians should also be more careful. Dark clothing may be stylish, but certainly not safe," said Presidium spokeswoman Denisa Balogh.

Frequent rain, fog, later dawn, and early sunset can be a source of accidents.

"All road users should think about it and take extra care after the summer cool. Drivers should take their foot off the gas and, especially on a wet road, maintain greater spacing between vehicles. The braking distance is prolonged. Drivers should check the lighting, the fog lights help, but if there is no reason to use them, they should be turned off, dazzling."

Beware of people traveling

Trees growing along the road often attract collectors. Especially when traveling between villages, children run around, there are comfortable bicycles and various darts.

"Drivers should be cautious on such sections. Collectors use reflective clothing and think that when they collide with a car, they are the more vulnerable and the consequences can be fatal."

Last ride on a motorcycle

The last nice days are used by motorcyclists to ride the country. However, the fallen leaves and the wet road can forever end their carefree ride.

"Like pedestrians or cyclists, they are among the most vulnerable on the road. Although they are legally obliged to be illuminated and have reflective elements on them, few of the cyclists do this. They often drive on the wrong side of the road, side by side, and alcohol is also common."

According to the police, using reflective tapes is better than in the past. Contributed to this amendment to the law, which made pedestrians obliged to have reflective materials in reduced visibility.

"Many pedestrians still don't think about their safety and risk their lives. Especially older people prefer to wear dark colors. They don't realize that the driver often sees them when it's too late."

Since the beginning of the year, the police have registered 9434 traffic accidents resulting in the loss of 173 persons, including 97 drivers and passengers, 23 motorcyclists, 41 pedestrians and 12 cyclists.

If you get stuck on a highway, you should follow these rules

The accident on the D1 motorway near Blatino on Sunday paralyzed the traffic for long hours. The thermometer in the sun was almost 35 degrees and the drivers remained entangled in hot hell. We investigated what to do and how to behave in similar situations.

Before you sit in your car, it is good to be prepared for any situation that may occur on the road. The most common problem is highway jams, especially during the summer heat. It is important to follow some basic rules.

First of all, it is necessary to have cars sufficiently refueled. You never know what can go wrong along the way. It is also good to get ready for the trip, which means having enough water and food with you. Which will be appreciated especially by the smallest. Newer cars even have air-conditioned compartments where you can store your food.

Hints and tips

"If we come to such an accident and we are among the first, it is good to withdraw into the lane, leave the car on the hazard lights. Wearing reflective vests," said traffic consultant Maros Palesch. When the situation calms down after a few minutes, a continuous column is created and there is no greater risk of going ideally out of the sun and sitting back in the car. Because the highway heats up to 45 - 50 degrees without problems during the day. Especially what can cause health problems for older people and young children?

"It would be better to wait with the car started and air-conditioned, as if I had a child or a crew member to collapse somewhere off the road," Palesch continued. It is also important to keep an eye on children as they can run out onto the road where a corridor for emergency vehicles is created.

Help rescuers for stranded

In accidents where the highway closes for several hours, all emergency services help. Evidence was also the truck accident near Blatino. "A fire-fighting bus has been posted, offering an air-conditioned cabin for passengers who have older vehicles and do not have a good climate," said Jozef Minar, spokesman for the Operations Center of the Emergency and Health Service. "We also provided a drinking regime for the people who stayed in the column. They were pulled out of Pezinok and Malacky, which we're using quadricycles to distribute mineral water to people," added Vladimir Bakos, the Chief Officer of the District Fire Department in Pezinok.

Child safety on the road

When and how you can walk with children on the road? Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users and this is doubly true of children. When a car hits a pedestrian at a speed of 30 km / h, an average of every 20 pedestrians dies, with a speed of 50 km / h, almost half of the impact will not survive. The encounter of a pedestrian with a car driving 60 km / h means almost certain death for him.

However, if a car collides with a child at any speed, it can always end tragically, at a speed of 30 km / h is already critical to the child. This is precisely why care should be taken to prevent the safety of children on the road, which also addressed in the amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which entered into force in January this year.

Among other things, the amendment to the Road Traffic Act also brought additional obligations for pedestrians on the roadside or the roadside. In poor visibility, they must wear reflective elements or safety clothing not only outside the village but also inside it. The law defines reduced visibility as visibility in which road users do not see each other sufficiently clearly, especially from dusk to dawn, at fog, snow, rain or in a tunnel.

Especially in municipalities that do not have sidewalks at the edge of roads, these preventive measures are taking place, as the risk of a pedestrian collision with a motor vehicle has increased significantly. If the pedestrian moving along the road is not wearing reflective elements, the distance that the driver can see is significantly reduced.

Proper clothing in road safety plays a very important role. Generally, if we dressed in dark colors, the driver of a motor vehicle us in the dark, they see from a distance of about 20 meters, but the reflective material shines up to 200 meters distance. This effect is even more pronounced in young children.

Clothing and accessories in bright fluorescent colors then greatly contribute to increased safety during the day. Visibility of pedestrians and especially children or cyclists can be increased not only by well-chosen clothing but also by various reflective elements, patches, and accessories made of special materials. Reflective material at night can be seen at three times greater distance than white clothing, and at more than ten times greater distance than dark clothing.

At a speed of 75 km / h, the driver needs at least 31 meters (about 1.5 seconds) to realize the danger and respond appropriately. Thus, pedestrians, cyclists and skaters will be given enough time with reflective materials or various elements.

REFLECTING ELEMENTS

By using reflective elements, pedestrians protect their health and life. So their standard equipment, especially in autumn or winter, should include a reflective vest, tape and various illumination on the hand, foot, hat or bike helmet reflective stickers.

Reflective elements for children include safety reflective vest or reflective vest worn on top clothes, ensures good visibility for at least 50 meters and serves to protect children when moving on the road, walking and overall outdoors. The reflective safety strap can be attached to a shoulder, leg or bag as it rolls itself and is suitable for children and adults. For school bag, rucksack or backpack it is possible to buy reflective cover of yellow color, which is well visible from long distance.

It is fastened with sewn rubber and rubber straps and is also ideal for hiking or cycling trips. Reflective elements already used by many manufacturers of clothing and school bags, which can be supplemented with the above-mentioned reflective vests, retractable straps, as well as caps and winter hats with reflective patches, reflective keys, pendants in the shape of various animals, etc.

Even shoes equipped with reflective elements as standard reflective elements should always be placed on moving parts of the body, ideally on the upper or lower limbs. To be sufficiently visible, they must not be overlapped by additional layers of clothing or carry baggage. Having reflective elements on your clothes is not an expensive thing or a disgrace.

The lights and reflectors were completed in minutes

On Monday night, the Cyclists of Lahti shared the lights donated by the Finnish Cycling Association and the reflectors donated by the City of Lahti at the corner of Vesijärvenkatu and Hämeenkatu. According to the counter, there are about a thousand cyclists a day at the nearby Harjukatu underpass.

On the scene, several cyclists stopped in their reflective vests to drink a cup of hot mulled wine, obtained from the cafe station manager. There was a consensus on this point: not enough pedestrians, cyclists, and dogs. This was also the view of the parking guards who were present.

What is so difficult about using lights and reflectors?

Lahti stolen a lot of bikes, from me has been exported to almost every bike that I have acquired. The same goes for bicycle light. There should be a removable light that you should always remember to bring with you, otherwise, it will no longer be when you return to the bike, says Kristiina Juvonen, who lives in downtown Lahti.

In the bay, saddles are all over, everything that comes off. Therefore, it is not worth buying a new bike.

According to the Police Polytechnic's Result Information System, more bikes and bike equipment are stolen in Lahti than in other cities of the same size. Last year, over 1,500 bike thefts were reported in the Häme Police Department. At the end of August, 672 bicycle thefts had come to the attention of the police in the Päijät-Häme area.

Juvonen and Mika Junttila, who was filling in with him, both got lights from their cycling event for their traveling games.

"This is an important event. Light is nice to take with you when you put your bike in the park," says Juvonen, who cycles all year round.

A reflective jacket or other reflective garment is a good life insurance policy

Tuulikki Mäkinen, who distributed reflectors at the event, says she is a passionate cyclist, and many "dark cyclists", ie those who don't have reflectors or lights on their bikes, will face the dark season.

"Many people who took a reflector or lamp said that the previous lamp was pollinated. Everything is taken away from what we get," Mäkinen says.

According to Juha Auvinen, a cyclist activist in Lahti, traveling without reflectors and lights is also associated with thoughtlessness in some people.

"It's a bit like a bicycle helmet. Not everyone uses it, even if it makes sense," he says.

Another cycling activist, Erkki Kontiainen, fills daily commutes to downtown Lahti and back. He says he started the most active cycling exercise in 2012 with a weight loss mindset of about twenty pounds, but utility biking remained the norm.

"I ordered this reflective fabric jacket from the British, and since then motorists have been able to look at me much better than before. They will notice me a longer distance than before. The light on the bike alone is not enough, reflectors are also important when cycling so that a cyclist can be detected in the car," Kontiainen says.

Police: "Pedestrians rely too much on being seen"

Superintendent Petri Molander of Häme police says his findings show that pedestrians have too much confidence in being seen by cars in street-lit areas.

"If the clothing does not have reflector surfaces added by the manufacturer, the use of bulk reflectors is necessary. In my experience, they are underused," Molander says.

He has no judgment on the visibility of cyclists in the dark, because "there is so little traffic on winter cyclists".

"I would think that outside of the city center and the street-lit areas, people who are cycling are just forced to use the light because otherwise, they can't see it. According to the law, there must be light on the bike anyway, otherwise, you may be fined."

Mom, Dad and Elizabeth pedal to Kavala

Last summer, Julian and Damian Kiskinovi of the Kurtovo Konare village of Plovdiv decided to give their 13-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, an extraordinary summer vacation. He drove with his wheels and huge backpacks on his back to neighboring Greece. And they've had the most wonderful two tire vacation most people can only dream of.

"The love for bicycles in the family is from Julian, who is from Provadia. Along with her, her husband, Damian, caught fire, and their granddaughter, Elizabeth, got on the bike when she was just 1 year old," says Juliana. At that time they participated in a cycling tour of Stamboliyski Municipality. The mother bought a German seat for the baby, and Elizabeth appeared to be the youngest participant with a teat on the bike ride. Since then, the girl has not got off the bike. Last summer, the family decided to go to Greece by sea, but not by car, but by bicycle. Elizabeth's younger sister, Iliana, was left home and the three left. They loaded the wheels with the narrow-gauge line to Dobrinishte and from there turned the pedals to Kavala.

"My mileage on the bike showed 175 km, but I put 2-3 kilometers above, which we lost to look for places to sleep. Almost on the Bulgarian-Greek border - in the village of Sadovo we spent the night in a straw. Sleeps well in the straw, "laughs Juliana. The next day, the three passed through the Ilinden - Exohi point and then turned the Greek pedals all day.

The little cyclist has coped with the challenge brilliantly

"And by 9 pm, we were already saying 'Hello Kavala.' We had no driving pace. We drive, we see blackberries, we stop, we get blackberries, we drink water, we go on, ”the mother explains. They were hampered by a large 22-kilometer fair. "We used to go down this barrier quite often, but then we pulled down a big race 56 kilometers an hour. I just said to the kid - "Keep the handlebar because you let it go, we got it in the fir", laughs the mother. They all had large backpacks, like the one Elizabeth's had the heaviest, but the heaviest was Dads. The bike that the girl rode in the transition is the most common runner, says Juliana. Her sister won it at a sports event.

During the long transition, the family followed strict safety rules. Daddy Damian drove first, Elizabeth in the middle, and mother last. At 47 degrees, the heat in Greece and the three had helmets with headlights, gloves on hands, knee pads with lights, and separately they had yellow safety vests. "During the night transitions we shone and blinked everywhere - they couldn't help but notice. We drove tight to the right. In Greece, the roads were so wide that they couldn't help but notice. And may the Lord guard us. It is safer in Greece, and the drivers there are more pleased with us, and if a Bulgarian driver surpasses us, we are signaled that we are crazy, but you are gone, ”Juliana laughs. The three left without a single phrasebook and without knowing a word in Greek. "In situations where I have to ask something, it was difficult for me, shaking my hands to explain, it was difficult for me. But when she asked, "Do you know English," our problems were over, "says Juliana.

Reflective sticker maker offers free Halloween visibility safety kits

A Minnesota maker of reflective safety gear is giving away kits to increase the night-time visibility of Halloween costumes.

Chuck Gruber cites State Farm research showing that Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrians.

His Oakdale-based company — which the Business Journal profiled in August— is giving away 10-square-inch adhesive strips of reflective material that parents can stick on children's costumes.

The removable strips have silicone-based tape on the back; on the front, millions of tiny beads will reflect car headlights.

Gruber offered three tips to maximize visibility using the reflective tapes:

Put the strips on all sides of the costume — front, back, left and right — to reflect light in all directions.

Use the strips to outline the shape of a human body to be easily recognizable as a person.

Put strips on extremities that move — arms, hands, legs, and ankles — to further heighten visibility.

Reflective tape, oil lamp for Amish buggies at night

To increase safety for both members of the Amish community and motorists who might encounter their horse-drawn buggies on the road at night, Rep. David McCrea of Fort Fairfield has advocated for a bill to require reflective tape and Lights on the rigs.

The area around Fort Fairfield and Easton have been home to dozens of Amish families for over a decade, with many establishing businesses such as carpentry shops, farms, and bakeries. In recent months, McCrea, who represents Maine House District 148 which includes both communities in Aroostook County, has met with dozens of members of the local Amish communities as well as officials from the Maine State Police and Maine Department of Transportation to draft and amend a bill that he said aims to help non-Amish residents notice buggies more quickly while driving .

LD 198, "An Act to Require That Non-motorized Carriages Be Equipped with Reflectors and Lights," proposes that any "animal-driven vehicles" include 72 inches of white reflective tape on the rear, 42 inches on the left and right sides and At least 12 inches near the top on both sides. If passed, the law would require Amish buggies to also have an oil lantern extending from the left side of their buggy facing the road. All those requirements would only be in place during night hours.

In 2017, McCrea worked with the Amish to draft and propose a bill that allowed them to wear red instead of the blaze orange colors that state law requires during hunting season. The religious beliefs of some Amish sects prohibit their wearing "flashy" or "worldly Colors like blaze orange. McCrea succeeded and the 128th Legislature passed LD 426.

The lawmaker said that some Amish groups, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch, have more "liberal" beliefs that allow their members to display a reflective orange triangle on the back of their buggies at night. But those who live in Aroostook County are part of the Schwartzentrouber Amish subgroup, whose religious values reconsidered the most conservative among the Amish.

Thus, McCrea met with Amish representatives in Fort Fairfield, Easton, Sherman, and Whitefield, which is located southwest of Augusta, to get their input on what a bill related to buggy safety might require. Though an initial version of LD 198 proposed orange reflective material Shaped like a triangle on the back of buggies, Amish leaders objected to the suggestion due to their avoidance of bright colors.

"Their belief is based on the concept of not wanting to draw attention to themselves, also a reason why they prefer not to be photographed unless, in a way that does not identify them," McCrea said.

A retired teacher who lives near some of the first Amish families to settle in Fort Fairfield, the lawmaker knows first-hand area residents also have concerned about traffic safety at night since the Amish first arrived. Many people, he said, have told him about Coming close to hitting buggies.

It is not clear how many accidents involving Amish buggies and vehicles occur in Maine each year. But just in January, a tractor-trailer struck and killed a horse hauling a buggy with seven children in it as it pulled out of a driveway onto US Route 2 in Smyrna. Two of the children suffered minor injuries, according to police.

In July 2015, a horse carrying a buggy on Route 10 near the border of Easton and Presque Isle was euthanized after it was rear-ended by an SUV, whose driver was distracted and didn't see the buggy, according to police. An Amish mother and daughter were treated at The Aroostook Medical Center and released that night.

In November 2013, a vehicle rear-ended a horse-drawn buggy on Route 1A in Easton, in what police later determined was a hit and run. In that case, both the teen-aged Amish driver and horse escaped injury, but the buggy was Damaged.

At this point, McCrea feels confident that the 129th Legislature will pass L.D. 198. Nine state legislators signed McCrea's bill as co-sponsors, including Sen. Mike Carpenter, D-Houlton, and Rep. Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle.

McCrea expected that a unanimous "ought to pass" vote from members of the Transportation Committee would garner the approval of both the House and Senate as well as the governor's signature.

"When a committee of 13 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents unanimously support a bill it is unlikely that the House, Senate, and governor won’t accept it," said McCrea, who is a Democrat.

Though many Amish community members have voluntarily begun using white reflective tape and oil lanterns while riding buggies at night, McCrea said that having an official law to require the practice has become more important than ever. The reflective tape and lights will alert motorists to the presence Of Amish buggies on the roads and give local police official guidelines if an incident occurs.

"This law would set a minimum standard for buggies and allow officers to arrest those who do not follow that law," McCrea said. "But I don't expect any arrests to happen. Overall the Amish community is in support of this bill."

BikeNWA receives input on protected bicycle lanes in Springdale

The Bike Alliance of Northwest Arkansas (BikeNWA) hosted the second of two public meetings Tuesday (Sept. 18) on a proposed protected bicycle lane for Meadow and Maple avenues and Holcomb Street in Springdale, and some residents were related about safety issues and ambulance traffic Along the planned route.

Ryan Hale, the founder of Bentonville consulting and planning company Laneshift, explained bicycle lanes are good for the economy and increase the attractiveness for individuals who might be looking to move to the area from larger urban areas.

Springdale, with a population of 79,599, is one of three Northwest Arkansas cities involved in a one-year pilot project that is supported by a $150,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation. The plan is to install temporary protected bicycle lanes in Springdale and Fayetteville and a temporary neighborhood greenway in Siloam Springs.

Neighborhood greenways are installed on streets too narrow for protected bicycle lanes and include features that are expected to "calm traffic," such as curb extensions and chicanes, said Paxton Roberts, executive director of BikeNWA. The protected bicycle lanes would include small barriers and bollards Dividing the four-to six-foot-wide lanes from the street, and the temporary lanes would be installed on existing roads without the need for new asphalt.

Some property owners in downtown Springdale were against the project as they believed it would narrow the streets and make them less safe. Downtown resident Sam Mason said the narrower streets will make it more difficult to drive downtown. He also said he doesn't see much Bicycle traffic on the streets that are planned for the new bicycle lanes and sees more on Johnson Avenue, which is north of Meadow Avenue.

Resident Margarita Solorzano was concerned for the safety of the cyclists and that the roads wouldn't be wide enough for emergency traffic. Glenda Hollis, who owns property on Maple Avenue, said she wanted the area to remain residential and not become a thoroughfare. Her Hm, Tim, also concerned about safety with the nearby Northwest Medical Center on Maple Avenue and the frequent ambulance traffic going to and from the hospital.

Bicycle lanes will be included on either side of the streets for the majority of the project, and 700 reinforced plastic barriers with reflective strips, or Zebra Cycle Lane Separators, will protect cyclists from vehicle traffic.

Work to install the lanes and greenway is expected to start in October and should be completed by Nov. 30. They will run along more than one mile of streets in each city. In Fayetteville, the lanes will installed on Rolling Hills Drive and Appleby Road. Dennis Blind, of Active Planning and Design in Bentonville, is leading the project for Fayetteville. It will largely run along existing bicycle trails on the streets. Reinforced plastic wheel stops with reflective tapes will installed as barriers between the street and bicycle lanes.

In Siloam Springs, the neighborhood greenway will installed on Harvard Street. The grant, which BikeNWA received in August, is paying for a consultant and the installation materials. The cost of permanent lanes and greenway would cost about the same price as all three temporary Projects.

Indiana school districts consult extended stop arm for school buses

Indiana school districts are pushing to improve safety for thousands of kids that ride a school bus. Attorney General Curtis Hill has given districts the OK to add a stop arm up to six feet long to get drivers' attention, and one school transportation official Would like to see that happen.

School buses are already one of the biggest and brightest vehicles on the road, but many school bus drivers will tell you sometimes it seems as if the big yellow bus is invisible.

"It doesn't seem to matter that it's a bright yellow vehicle with LED lights and flashing lights," Katrina Falk, assistant transportation director for Shelby Eastern School, said. "We've proven time and time again; unfortunately, it's not visible."

Falk is a longtime school bus driver, and she takes pride in her buses. Making sure every bus she runs is safe and in immaculate shape — both inside and out.

"We have dual stop arms on all of our newer buses with strobing LED lights; we have full reflective tape packages; strobe lights that stay on in the morning," Falk said. "We are doing everything we can to make this vehicle as visible as possible."

Despite how clean, shiny, and well-lit her buses are, it's not always enough to stop cars and trucks from passing her school buses when the red lights are flashing, and the stop arm is out. That's why Falk was among the transportation directors To review a new extended stop-arm option now available for Indiana buses.

"I don't think you can ever make a school bus too visible," Falk said. "So, anything we can do in this danger zone and attract the attention of motorists, I'm all for it."

Right now, a school bus stop arm extends 18 inches from the bus, but the extended stop arm would reach across a lane of traffic roughly 4.5 to 6.5 feet from the bus.

"So they are made to be hit, so if they are hit, they shear off very easily to limit the amount of damage that's done to the actual bus," Falk said.

Parents say anything that keeps their child out of harm's way is a move they can get on board with.

The extended runner is made by Bus Safety Solutions and costs about $1,500 to install. The company says school districts in other states that have already started using it have seen a 55 percent to 85 percent reduction in stop-arm violations.

The rules for motorcycle taxi drivers begin to apply

Under protests of the category, begin to apply on Saturday the new rules for motorcycle taxi drivers to practice in Brazil.

Those who do not comply with them may be fined and the bike seized for regularization. However, it will be up to the states to decide whether the assessments will also be made from today.

The most controversial item of the new rules is the requirement for a training course for motorcycle taxi drivers. Classes must be given by an institution authorized by Veterans and may be paid or free - at the discretion of the state and municipalities.

The National Association of Veterans last Thursday asked the National Traffic Department to postpone the inspection with fines because of the "high cost of courses", "high course of equipment required", "reduced number of qualified instructors" and "reduced number of institutions qualified for the courses".

For the same reasons, the union that represents the category in the state of São Paulo organized a protest on Friday that traveled several parts of the city, causing slow traffic.

The Veterans suggest that supervision begin educationally and cover compulsory safety equipment from June onwards and that from September only the course is charged.

The 2009 federal law, which was regulated the following year, should have come into force in August last year but was delayed precisely because of the lack of places to teach. Without this course and the use of a series of safety equipment, these professionals will, according to the law, commit a serious infraction.

In practice, it is up to the states to define when the assessments begin to be made. In São Paulo, the inspection is scheduled to begin this Saturday, by the Military Police. In Rio de Janeiro, there won't be many in the first 4 months, reports Detran. This is because courses only began to be given in the state this week, in two points only.

With 50 class hours, 5 of them of practice, the mandatory course for those who make deliveries or transport passengers on motorbikes is taught by bodies that are authorized by Detran. It can be free or paid: the decision is from the states and municipalities. Part of the workload can be fulfilled at a distance.

In the state of Sao Paulo, Detran says that about 21,000 professionals took the course. The union of the category estimates that this number is larger, of 36 thousand, only in São Paulo. But it is still much lower than the 500,000 motoboys and motorcycle taxi drivers in the state, with 200,000 in the capital, according to Sindimoto.

In São Paulo, the Traffic Engineering Company (CET) offers the course free of charge and says it offers the bike even for practical classes. The Detran-SP also authorized 17 schools and 21 stations of the Social Transport Service to teach. In these cases, the course is charged and, according to the department, there is no fixed fee. Adtran-SP says that, the average cost is $ 160 and that last year offered 20,000 free courses.

In Rio de Janeiro, Detran says it will offer free courses with 60 places per class. In Paraná, the courses are offered by Driver Training Centers (CFC) authorized by Detran and cost, on average, $ 300 and $ 400, according to the local union.

The SP union also complains that most cities have not yet regulated the profession of motorcycle taxi drivers. And that in the capital, where this already happens, the bureaucracy delays who wants to be up to date with the law. According to the organization, 36 thousand professionals have already taken the course, but only 15 thousand have obtained the approval of the city.

t is up to the municipalities to authorize or not this type of activity on-site and how it will happen. In São Paulo, for example, the motorcycle taxi service is not allowed. The motorcycle is regulated in 14 cities in the state, according to Detran.

In addition to taking the course, the motoboys will have to use safety equipment on the bikes. The helmet, mandatory by law, must be accompanied by leg protection, an antenna that cuts lines, vest with reflective stripes and reflective stripes on the motorcycle. In the case of motoboys, it is necessary to use a box (chest) with reflective stripes and identification.

For orthopedist Marcelo Rosa de Rezende, from the Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, the requirement for this equipment is "a start" for reducing the number of accidents. "They can avoid minor trauma," he says. Most of the trauma of motorcyclists treated at the hospital, according to him, are in the legs, which have more contact with cars.

In HC-SP, 44% of patients treated at Orthopedics are motorcyclists, says the doctor, but it is not possible to determine if those who work with motorcycles predominate.

A survey by the HC Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology in 2009 with motorcycle accident patients found that only 25% of users learned to drive in a school; 32% said they were self-taught and the others said they were taught by relatives or friends.

Knowing defensive driving is the main way, in Rezende's opinion, to combat more serious trauma. The doctor is also a biker. "I've been riding a motorcycle for 30 years, I've never had an accident," he says. "That's why I believe in defensive driving, in the well-informed, well-informed motorcyclist. I do not advocate motorcycle use if there is more exposure, but knowing this, I protect myself more."

For Rezende, the government should review the cases where the course is paid because a motorcycle accident can cost governments much more expensive. "An inpatient here at Orthopedics costs, on average, $ 40,000. He usually spends 18 days here, which is a very high average. There are several surgeries, often several days of ICU. The cost, in the end, is much bigger than offering a free course for everyone, "says the doctor.