The following is a letter from Hatzolah of Monsey:
This past Friday night Hatzoloh responded to a call for a pedestrian struck by car.
The person was walking with family and friends and was wearing reflective clothing but was struck by a car. We have since learned that the driver, who had left the scene, was found by police.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind the community of the importance of safety and awareness. In many areas of Wesley hills and Pomona there are limited street lights and limited sidewalks. It is crucial that while walking at night you wear a reflective strip to be visible to drivers.
In addition- please be aware that even with the reflective strip some drivers may not be paying close attention and therefore you should take extra care to move over as much as possible to avoid any injury.
Hatzoloh has reflective strips available for the community free of charge.
If you would like to have some dropped off at your shul – please email [email protected] and someone will contact you to help arrange this.
You can also stop by the Hatzoloh office at 19 Grove street to pick some up during normal business hours.
Thank you and stay safe!
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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5 Responses
Every time I visit Monsey at night I have the same question? If it rains the vision is much worse! I’m begging you its for your own safety PLEASE Wear reflectors! Its a matter of life or death! Sometimes the roads are winding and vision is impossible!
This is not only a problem in Pomona and Wesley Hills!
This is a problem right in the heart of Monsey, on Rte 306, despite the street lights… and sidewalks!
And on West Maple, where there are few lights and no sidewalks. Your white shirt cuff sticking out of your beketshe is NOT sufficient! (That was the response I got from some people for whom I stopped, to explain to them that they are not visible to drivers. I was shaken up, as I had come close to hitting them, although they didn’t even notice.)
On Route 306, (and sometimes on Route 59!) people cross wherever they feel like, and since they are not wearing reflectors, we have had a few close calls. Granted, they shouldn’t be crossing where there is no crosswalk. But that is a separate issue. The bottom line is, they ARE in the street, without life-saving reflectors, and this appears to be common practice. At night, the lighting is not sufficient to see people suddenly appear in the street unexpectedly.
Please don’t wait for another accident chas v’sholom.
I would like to add: a reflector worn around the wrist is not obviously a human being. It can easily be missed as some sort of road marking. Even wearing it around the waist, as a belt, leaves a lot to be desired, but it is better. The safest way to wear it is across your body (from one shoulder to the opposite waist). The reflector moves with the torso, making it very clear that there is a live person there.
V’nishmartem Me’od es Nafshosechechem is not just a good idea! If you are a Yid, you are required by the Torah to keep yourself safe! This chiyuv carries more weight than going to a tisch, a melave malka, or a wedding!
Moderators: Please correct my previous post. It should say Nafshosechem, not Nafshosechechem, which is not a word! Is there no way to edit a post before it is moderated, to correct typos and mark-up errors??
The message should be targeted towards drivers, not pedestrian. Drive slower when it’s dark. There are far more drivers killed in crashes than pedestrians. Slow down and you won’t have to worry about other people wearing reflectors.
In Dallas the frum community deploy vests when they walk home from shul on friday night.