What do fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld and racing driver Fernando Alonso have in common? Easy. Both took part in campaigns to promote the use of this safety garment.
When one of the vehicle’s warning lights comes on, indicating some kind of more or less serious fault, and the vehicle is moving, the first reaction is one of unease and a sense of danger. Especially if we are on a dual carriageway, for example (or it is night-time). However, we must stay calm and, before getting out to place the warning triangles, put on our vest.
The fluorescent vest basically allows us to be seen by other drivers on the road. It is known that, without lighting, other drivers will not be able to see us until they are at least 10 metres away, with all the danger that entails. That is far too small a margin and can lead to an accident.
“It’s yellow, it’s ugly, it doesn’t go with anything, but it could save your life,” said the great Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most iconic designers of all time -who died in 2019-, in a campaign to publicise the compulsory use of the vest in France, introduced in 2008. The French road safety campaign is arguably one of the most original in memory.
The #staybright campaign
Six years ago -in 2016- Spain joined a major international campaign to promote the use of reflective vests, launched by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). In our country, the Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) was responsible for driving this awareness campaign.
The hashtag used at the time was #staybright -something like #déjatever (“let yourself be seen”) in Spanish- and it was aimed above all at child pedestrians and cyclists, as well as vulnerable road users in general. Some star Formula 1 drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, were photographed wearing vests for it.
However, wearing a vest is everyone’s responsibility. Including roadside assistance operators who can, quite literally, end up leaving their skin on the tarmac. And users of tow-truck and traveller assistance services, who should always keep this safety garment to hand, so they can put it on in the event of a breakdown or accident when getting out of the vehicle. There are no excuses for not being seen on the road. As the Kaiser of fashion said, it could save your life!