Available data points towards the vulnerability of pedestrians to road crashes and that a significantly higher number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities occur over the winter months. This suggests that light and weather conditions may be factors increasing crash risk for pedestrians. With the winter season setting in, I therefore encourage that schoolchildren (particularly those who walk to school) be provided with reflective apparel that enhances their visibility to motorists. Such apparel includes (but is not limited to) reflective vests, backpacks and tracksuits with reflective strips on the ankles, knees and elbows). The latter are highly recommended because of their configuration. This is because they harness the concept known as biological motion (or ‘biomotion’)-that is, ‘our visual sensitivity to patterns of human motion’. Apparel like tracksuits and jackets with reflective strips on the knees move with the movement of a pedestrian and therefore are more easily identified as being the shape and movement of a human being. Continue reading “Putting forward the case for learner visibility: brighten them up this winter”