Education

Education Reflective 101

Our products reflect more than light. They reflect a deep understanding of the science of visibility and safety.

This begins with a simple fact: Pedestrians are up to seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision at night as opposed to in the day. More than 70% of cyclist vs. vehicle collisions and fatalities happen at night.

Insights into vision
Decreased visibility is only the start. The psychology of pedestrians provides additional insight.  Pedestrians consistently overestimate their own visibility. In one study: On average, they overrated their visibility by 193 feet (that’s the difference between driving by and driving over). This occurs, in part, because the pedestrian’s environment is darker than the driver’s field of vision—so the pedestrian’s eyes are better adjusted to the darkness and thus overconfidence.

Further, drivers eyes typically do not adjust to darkness – and they are dealing with countless cues. They frequently have trouble distinguishing what’s static from what’s moving.

The power of Reflectivity
That’s why adding reflectivity is important. White provides the absolute minimum amount of visibility. It is 1 on the the Reflective Brightness (RA) scale. By contrast, all our Brilliant Reflective material is 300+.

The reflective strength is important (Click on our glass bead page to learn how reflectively works) but it’s even more important to add reflectivity in the right places. That’s why we study biometrics. Reflective tape on your chest doesn’t help nearly as much as reflective tape on your elbow. One is static; the other moves. Our eyes—and brains—seek out movement.

These insights drive our innovations.
That might mean high candlepower (HCP), longevity (HCP over time), wash durability or visibility standards. Safe Reflections’ patented Brilliant® Reflective color-fast reflective technology maintains high brightness better and longer than others.

Our deep understanding of glass bead technology has allowed us to develop breakthrough products that bring a higher level of comfort, performance, durability and style to garments.

We have custom adhesives for low-temperature, high-stretch, and durable, water-resistant (DWR) fabrics.

Safe Reflections reflective fabrics provide superior long-lasting brightness, comfort and wash durability — between 25-70 wash cycles. We hold patents in color, comfort, breathability, durability and adhesive technologies.