Reflectors for optimal visibility in the dark

Reflectors are available in many designs and you can easily attach them to your children's clothing, on the body, on the school backpack or bicycle. From reflective details on jackets to LED wristbands and protective vests to safety lights and reflective stickers, HABA offers you a variety of reflective accessories, with which you can make your children visible in the dark.

Safety vests and luminous rain covers for the school backpack provide maximum visibility during the darker months. Flashing and safety lights for strollers, bikes or balance bikes are the perfect addition.

Your little ones also don't have to worry about a cool design – the reflective wristbands with versatile colorful designs will probably be snatched from your hands without any persuasion! And a jacket with bright reflective details is always a hit with the little ones.

How do reflectors work?

The basic principle of reflectors is simple but effective: The light beams of a vehicle hit the surface of the reflective object and are reflected back. Two special material types are used for reflective accessories: microprisms or glass beads.

Microprisms are used, for example, for safety vests or bicycle reflectors. They are tiny prisms, whose side surfaces act like mirrors and can reflect light back in all directions. Glass beads can also reflect light regardless of the angle of incidence due to their curvature and are used, for example, for safety tags and reflector tapes.

Reflective jackets for children

At HABA you'll find a variety of cozy and weatherproof jackets for autumn and winter that already have reflective details integrated. Whether reflective zippers or bright neon colors – with reflective jackets you not only protect your children from rain and cold, but also from the dangers of road traffic.

Reflectors on the school backpack

So that your children have a safe journey to school even in poor visibility, you should choose a school backpack with reflectors. This way they will no longer be overlooked by any road user.

Varied designs and bright, cheerful colors are not lacking, so your children can wear their personal favorite school backpack to school with pride. In rain and snow, a reflective cover keeps them dry and provides additional protection in traffic.

Child safety in road traffic

Reflectors are important helpers for participating safely in road traffic and can save lives in critical situations. Of course they do not replace the traffic education of your children. From the age of three, children can be playfully introduced to the basic rules of traffic. The earlier and more often you make your children aware of potential danger situations in everyday life or point out traffic rules, the more firmly they will internalize them.

Nevertheless, in most children the ability only develops between the ages of eight and ten the ability to adequately anticipate potential dangers, to perceive several processes simultaneously and to correctly judge the distances and speeds of vehicles. Reflectors are therefore the perfect complement to traffic education. In addition, you can explore safe routes to everyday destinations with your children and practise them together. The school route or the route to their playmates are suitable for this exercise.

Safety in the dark for children's bicycles

Of course your children should also be safe on the bicycle! The ADAC recommends allowing children to take part in road traffic on a bicycle alone only after traffic education and the bicycle test in third or fourth grade. On dangerous routes your children should still be accompanied by an adult afterwards.

Children must ride on the sidewalk until the age of 8 and may use it instead of the road until the age of 10 – this allows them to be largely safe until they have internalized the rules of road traffic. A helmet is of course indispensable for adequate safety, as are lights and reflectors for the child's bicycle.

For additional protection we at HABA recommend a reflective vest or a safety collar as well as bright multi-reflective armbands, which with their versatile, original motifs will certainly be popular with your children.

How many reflectors must a bicycle have?

To guarantee safety in road traffic, ADAC prescribes fixed rules for the lighting equipment of bicycles. These, of course, include headlights and taillights, which must be mounted so that they do not shift during the ride. Additionally, a large white front reflector as well as a large reflector at the rear of the bicycle must be fitted.

They are complemented by yellow reflectors on the pedals. The wheels are either fitted with two yellow spoke reflectors each or with reflective spoke clips on every spoke. Alternatively, you can use tires with continuous reflective stripes on the sidewall.

Making your children visible in the dark – with flashlights

On dark winter days flashlights are the ideal companions. Your children are thus already visible to other road users from a greater distance. In addition, they can better orient themselves in their surroundings. However, it is important to point out some rules for handling the flashlight to ensure optimal visibility in the dark.

Your children should learn that they must never shine directly into the eyes of people or animals. You should in particular point out to them never to dazzle, as this can otherwise lead to dangerous situations. Once your children have learned the correct way to use the flashlight, it can be a helpful companion in the dark that provides a sense of safety.

Visible with the stroller thanks to reflectors & co.

If your little ones are still so small that they explore the world exclusively or mostly from the stroller, you can also make sure with the right accessories that your children are visible in the dark.

Equip your stroller with stroller lights and reflector stickers. It will then also be clearly visible even in poor visibility conditions or at dusk. The reflector stickers reflect light up to 150 m in all directions and can be attached to all materials.

This way you can also be safely out and about with your little ones during the dark season and don't have to miss any stroll!