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"I didn't realize this. That's good you say, this I will take up with the management in the kindergarten," says Anders Graff Kleven (31).

The kindergarten teacher is on a trip in the Iladalen in Oslo with a bunch of children from the Children's House kindergarten. All children are well visible in their yellow reflective vests, and the use of reflex is a theme in the kindergarten.

"We talk to the children about reflex and how important it is to be visible in traffic," says Kleven.

Should be changed after a few years

But both reflectors and vests are worn out. Scratched and dull reflexes can give false confidence when traveling in traffic, warns the insurance company Tryg.

Using scratched reflectors can be more dangerous than walking around without a reflex.

"This is because you behave differently when you think you are protected from reflex," says Tryg chief Espen Opedal in a press release.

Test the reflexes

Safe traffic also encourages people to check that the reflectors work before they are used in the autumn darkness.

"Reflections are a bit fresh. When they become streaked and worn, they have a poorer effect and should be replaced. If you have a reflective vest, it should also be replaced if you have used it extensively or if it has been washed 20-30 times," says Communications Manager Ann-Kathrin.

She encourages people to conduct a simple test on the family's reflex inventory. Hang the reflectors on a chair back, turn off the light in the room and light the reflections with a flashlight.

"You throw the reflexes that have the worst effect," says Årøen.

Questions of life and death

According to the road authorities, reflex has a life of three years. Reflections on children often get harsh momentum through play. Reflective materials that adults store in the jacket pocket often gets scratches from car keys and other hard objects.

The use of reflex reduces the risk of being hit in the dark by 85 percent. Even if you see the car, it is difficult for the motorist to see you if you do not use reflex.

"If you walk along a road in the dark without reflex, you are first visible to the driver at 25-30 meters. With reflex you will be seen at 140 meters distance," says Espen Opedal in Ttryg insurance.

"This means that in a 50-zone area, the driver has ten seconds instead of two seconds to respond. It can be the difference between life and death," he continues.

Has reflex in all jackets

Janne Vollset (36) gets new reflexes every year through the job of an insurance company. Old reflexes are therefore not a problem for her, and she has reflective tapes in all jackets.