Look for the CE mark
All types of loose reflectors that you can hang, attach or stick on clothes must be tested and CE marked. The same applies to reflective clothing, such as reflective vests for leisure use.
If the reflector is not CE marked, you may risk that it does not reflect light well enough. Then motorists will not see it in the dark. Reflectors must also be marked with who has produced or imported them.
Clothes that resemble reflectors
On the market, there are many reflective-like products, such as clothes in luminescent or light-reflecting material. Such products can help you to be more visible, but if they are not CE marked, you have no guarantee that these products have the properties that a real reflector should have. If you are going to travel in the dark, you should therefore use one or more CE-marked reflectors as well.
LED lights and accessories
Bracelets, key chains, hats and the like with LED lights can also help you to be more visible in the dark. Remember that such products do not replace reflectors. Therefore, such products should also be clearly labelled with the fact that they alone do not protect you in the dark. It is also not allowed to call a product a reflector if it does not meet the requirements for documentation and labelling.
Take the light test
Reflectors are consumables and must be replaced when they are worn. You should not wash your reflective vest too often. If you are unsure whether the reflector has stopped working, you can do a simple test with a flashlight in a dark room. Hang the reflector at eye level and light it from at least 4 meters away. If the reflector does not reflect the light – throw it away!