Do Cheap High Visibility Vests Meet Current EU Safety Standards?
If you are an employer who is looking to bulk buy high visibility clothing, or even an individual cyclist, you’ll want to find cheap high visibility vests. But, at the same time, you’ll want to make sure that you are still getting a quality kit that passes all guidelines. The current European standard for Hi Vis gear, like polo shirts or high visibility vests, is more stringent than ever. The shirts should have retroreflective tapes placed on them according to particular design criteria. These tapes should grip around the torso to make the body visible from different directions and in different poses for added protection. If the reflective garment is intended as a leisurewear aid, retroreflective materials can be used in a freer manner – such as a patch. Before the garments can be sold, their retroreflective capabilities have to be tested. Materials of the hi vis clothing must be shown to work after certain treatments – such as being dry-cleaned – and this will be rigorously tested before the point of sale. Light reflected from the retroreflective tape should shine a cone of light back towards the source. This enables it to be seen by the viewer, such as a car driver heading towards a pedestrian. In the laboratory, materials are tested to measure the effectiveness of the cone of reflective light. To be sure that any cheap high visibility vests, jackets and trousers you are buying have passed all legal European standards, you’ll want to get them from a supplier who can guarantee your order meets the safety regulations.