Dartmouth resident Roy Bertalotto was driving along Tucker Road one rainy early morning when a jogger dodged a puddle and darted in front of his car.

Bertalotto swerved and neither he nor the jogger was hurt. 

But he was shaken. And he realized that this was not the first time he had encountered a jogger, in many cases wearing black or similar dark clothing, forced to run close to the road in areas without sidewalks. 

Being more visible, he thought, could save a jogger’s life. And one way to do that, he decided, was to provide joggers with reflective vests to increase their visibility along darkened roads.

He had seen kiosks throughout town that offered free books for people to share. Why not do the same with reflective vests?

Bertalotto purchased about 100 such vests and decided to give them out for free at a kiosk he constructed. 

“We've given away over 50 vests so far,’’ he said. “We place the kiosk in an area and we reach saturation after about 20 vests. So then I move it to another location,’’ reaching out to residents on social media for their thoughts on good sites.

“We try to find areas with no sidewalks and lots of joggers, bike riders, dog walkers,’’ he added. “The acceptance from the community has been overwhelming.’’

The Dartmouth resident hopes a local business or sponsor might come through and help with the expense of purchasing additional vests. 

Bertalotto is also looking for people or organizations to construct more kiosks.

“I'm sure there must be a few ‘garage woodworkers’ that might like to build a few of these,’’ he said.

Bertalotto is willing and able to build more himself, he added, but because his woodworking is outdoors, he will have to wait for better weather.

Caretakers for these kiosks would also be important, he said. He is seeking residents or businesses to allow the kiosks on their property and keep an eye on the supply to make sure there are enough vests.

“We'll supply the inventory,’’Bertalotto said. “We just need them to keep an eye on it.’’

This project, he said, could potentially “save someone’s life or limb.’’

But that will only happen, he said, if joggers follow one simple rule. “Wear the darn things.’’

For more information on the vest project, contact Roy Bertalotto at (774)301-2329 or rvb100@comcast.net.