Non-motorists typically overstate their visibility at night, and drivers typically believe they can see farther than they can under the same conditions, which creates unsafe conditions. Non-motorist fatalities comprise 14% of all traffic fatalities. Pedestrians are as much as six times as likely to die in a crash as motorists, with youngsters and the elderly disproportionately represented. Pedestrians run a risk that is as much as a 4.14 times higher of being hit in darkness as in daylight. One issue is motorists' tendency to "outdrive" the illumination ability of typical low-beam headlights. To achieve more visibility after dark requires greater luminance contrast, either by illuminating the object or by making the object easily illuminated by headlights. Retroflective materials work by redirecting the light from the headlamps back to the driver. They are most effective when worn at extremities such as ankles and wrists or joints by revealing "biomotion" to drivers. However, retroflective clothing on the torso permits greater areas of materials which overall are more visible. In working areas, it is more effective to add colors to workers vests so they stand out from the primarily orange and white color palette. Also, tests at night with pedestrians showed the colored retroflective materials were visible over greater distances than white ones.
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