Mandatory Reflective Gear for Motorcycle and ATV Riders
2025-06-25
The commanding general of the United States Army Europe issued a mandatory order requiring all government soldiers, civilian employees and military family members to wear outer garments with fluorescent and highly reflective materials when riding motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. This measure aims to reduce the high rate of traffic fatalities involving these vehicles.
Statistics show that 19 soldiers had already died in motorcycle accidents that year. More than 37% of Army traffic fatalities were related to motorcycles. The average age of the motorcyclists who lost their lives was 28, and all of them were male. Compared with 45 fatalities in last year, the number of motorcycle-related traffic deaths increased to 47, representing a 4% rise.
To save lives, the government commanding general stipulated that soldiers must wear vests, jackets, or specialized motorcycle clothing with fluorescent and highly reflective materials at all times, whether on or off military posts, when operating or riding as passengers on two-wheeled motor vehicles. Regular military uniforms, even those with reflective designs like Army physical fitness apparel, lack the necessary fluorescent properties to effectively alert other drivers to the presence of smaller vehicles such as motorcycles.
Civilian employees and military family members are also required to wear such reflective outer garments when riding these vehicles within military installations. They are strongly encouraged to wear them off-post as well, to enhance their visibility on the roads.
It has been emphasized that wearing reflective or retro-reflective materials enables drivers of larger vehicles to quickly identify oncoming motorcycles and estimate their speed, thus preventing accidents caused by blind spots.