Traffic Safety Vest Requirements

Traffic safety vests are worn by road crews, highway surveyors, school crossing guards and other workers. The vests have to meet certain specifications set by the American National Standards Institute, which are based on the standards of the International Safety Equipment Association. The vests are cut differently, depending on the profession.

Velcro

• One of the requirements for a proper traffic safety vest is that it must be closed using Velcro or snaps. The reason is that it's imperative a safety vest can be torn away quickly when necessary. Moreover, if something were to catch on a traffic safety vest (such as the rear bumper of a car) the vest must be able to tear off the person wearing it rather than drag him along.

Color

• Traffic safety vests have to be highly visible in all conditions, including darkness and inclement weather. To make sure wearers have every chance of being seen, the vests are often brightly colored (safety orange or fluorescent yellow). Vests also must have reflective materials sewn onto them to catch drivers' attention. The reflective materials often form a pattern, such as an "X" across the back of the vest.

Cut

• Certain traffic safety vests must be cut in specific ways. This is especially true of vests worn by policemen and emergency medical technicians. For police officers, the safety vest has to be short enough not to interfere with an officer reaching for equipment on his duty belt (flashlight, gun, handcuffs). The same is true for EMTs, who may need to reach materials on their belts to administer life-saving procedures.