Winter Season and Visibility

With the arrival of the winter season, sunrise and sunset times are getting earlier. The current sunset time in Istanbul is 18:03. By December 21, this time will recede to 17:39. In the eastern region of the country, specifically in Ardahan, the sunset time will retreat as early as 16:40.

Safety and Traffic

It is extremely important for our children—who are leaving school or continuing their education in cram schools, sports, and cultural activities—to be noticed in traffic during night conditions while they are outside. Therefore, families need to take certain precautions to ensure their children's safety:

• Dressing them in reflective clothing.

• Using light-emitting accessories.

• Ensuring they remain alert on the road.

These measures are significant steps toward increasing children's safety and ensuring their visibility.

The Importance of Clothing Characteristics in Traffic Collisions

The 2024 TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) Road Traffic Accident Statistics strikingly reveal the impact of clothing characteristics on traffic accidents. There are notable differences in the numbers of pedestrians involved in accidents, killed, and injured based on what they were wearing.

The Impact of Clothing Colors The rate of pedestrians wearing dark-colored clothing being involved in traffic accidents is much higher than those wearing light-colored or reflective clothing. This is due to the difficulty drivers face in noticing pedestrians dressed in dark colors.

Fatality Rates The fatality rate for pedestrians wearing dark clothing is more than double that of those wearing light-colored or reflective clothing.

This statistic demonstrates that increasing pedestrian visibility is of vital importance. Regarding pedestrian safety, it is recommended to be more careful in clothing selection and to increase precautions in light of this data.

Recommendations for Safe Traffic

There are several measures to be taken to ensure children can exist safely in traffic. Here are some of these measures:

• Reflective Features: Choosing bags, hair clips, and clothes with reflective properties while our children are walking home from school increases their visibility.

• Basic Pedestrian Training: It is important for all children to receive basic pedestrian training to become conscious of traffic information. This training can be supported by resources available on the "Traffic and Child" website.

• Awareness in Play Areas: Informing our children playing on the street about vehicles is critically important for ensuring their safety.

It should not be forgotten that the most valuable legacy we will leave to our future and our children will be a generation that has gained a "Traffic Culture."