Visible and Safe Through Autumn
10.10.2025 | from Touring Club Suisse (TCS)
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10.10.2025, In the autumn months, the risk of accidents for all road users increases. Anticipatory driving ensures safety. With the Made Visible prevention campaign, TCS raises awareness of visibility in traffic. TCS also provides additional useful tips for staying accident-free and safe through the autumn.
When fog creeps over the roads, temperatures drop, and it gets dark earlier, exceptional attention is required in traffic. Road users must adjust to changing conditions. Due to wetness or leaves on the road, the risk of skidding increases, and the braking distance is extended. Puddles and water channels can lead to aquaplaning, and falling temperatures can cause ice formation on bridges.
To ensure drivers get safely through autumn and winter, it is advisable to fit winter tires in October. The winter tires should have at least 4mm of tread remaining and should not be more than ten years old. Vehicle equipment must also adapt to the season. Snow chains, ice scrapers, snow brooms, wool blankets, and de-icing spray will now be particularly useful. Furthermore, it is recommended to check all important functions of the car, since the vehicle is under more strain in the cold season. If desired, TCS also offers a detailed winter test.
Visibility on the bike and on foot
Anyone cycling in autumn should wear bright clothing, preferably with reflective elements. The lighting (white at the front, red at the back) must work perfectly. Reflectors at the front, back, and on the pedals provide additional visibility. Tires with tread and enough air ensure grip on slippery roads and can prevent falls.
Pedestrians are also advised to take certain precautions in autumn. Good footwear provides grip, and clothes with reflective elements increase safety. Wearing reflective materials, if possible on multiple parts of the body, ensures that one is spotted in time, giving drivers time to react. Every second accident could be avoided with an additional second of reaction time. On the madevisible.swiss website, the site of the campaign renewed annually by TCS, numerous suggestions for clothing and accessories that increase visibility at night are available.
Beware of wildlife
In autumn, the risk of unexpectedly encountering wildlife increases. To prevent collisions, it is important to adjust speed and to be ready to brake, especially at dusk. If an animal is on the road or nearby, switch to low beam and honk to scare the animal away. Avoid dangerous evasive maneuvers. If a collision occurs despite these precautions, report the accident to the police immediately. They will send a wildlife ranger, a hunter, or a veterinarian to the accident site. Do not approach an injured animal; instead, wait at a safe distance for the professionals to arrive.
Media contact:
Marco Wölfli
porte-parole médias TCS
Tél. 058 827 34 03
marco.woelfli@tcs.ch
Conclusion of this article: « Visible and Safe Through Autumn »
Touring Club Suisse (TCS)
Since its founding in 1896 in Geneva, the Touring Club Suisse has been serving the Swiss population. It advocates for safety, sustainability, and self-determination in personal mobility, both politically and socially. With 1900 employees and 23 regional sections, Switzerland's largest mobility club offers its approximately 1.6 million members a wide range of services related to mobility, health, and leisure activities.
Assistance is provided every 70 seconds. Annually, 200 patrols are deployed in about 359,000 missions on Swiss roads, enabling immediate onward travel in more than 80% of the cases. The ETI centre organizes about 57,000 assistance missions annually, including 3,200 medical clarifications and over 1,200 repatriations. The TCS Swiss Ambulance Rescue is the largest private operator for rescue services and patient transport in Switzerland, with 50 vehicles, 17 logistics bases, and over 35,000 missions per year. The legal protection offices handle 42,000 cases and provide around 10,000 legal consultations.
Since 1908, TCS has been committed to road safety in Switzerland by developing teaching materials, awareness-raising, and prevention campaigns, testing mobility infrastructures, and advising authorities.
Every year, TCS distributes around 110,000 reflective bands and 90,000 reflective vests to children to ensure their mobility is safe. The driving centers annually educate and train 42,000 participants in all vehicle categories. With 33 sites and about 950,000 overnight stays, TCS is the largest camping provider in Switzerland. The TCS Mobility Academy researches and shapes transformations in transport, such as vertical mobility via drones or shared mobility, like the 400 electric cargo bikes 'carvelo' with 40,000 users. TCS is a co- signer of the Electromobility Roadmap 2025.
Source: Touring Club Suisse (TCS), Press release
Original article published on: Sichtbar und sicher durch den Herbst