High Visibility jacket or vest

[beemerboy9]

If you imagine the spectrum of "looking", there will be expert traffic coppers who do lots of looking, people like the teenager who drove thru' the red traffic in front of me yesterday because she was drinking coffeee and chatting to her mate who do very little or no looking at all, and a whole load of people in between doing varying amounts of looking.
I agree with Bowser that if the teenager has you in her sights (no looking remember!) then your number is up. I am hoping, wishfully, that my Hi-Viz will attract the eye of most of the rest of the people most of the time.
Have I it got it wrong, Bowser, or have all your years in Traffic made you too sceptical?

 

[Bub]

hello all..

to conti8nue the debate

the reflective stuff on "Hi-Vis" is only useful if the person seeing it actually recognizes it as being a person/motorcycle......

if you view most Hi-vis in the dark...all you see is a few reflective stripes....
and these dont always make the viewer think of the reflections as a person.

there used to be a reflective suit that had reflective panels in the shape of a person (skeleton), (ish) on the suit...... this proved to be better then the usual 3 stripes on the torso, and arms, as people actually beilieved it was a person there.

personally, I dont use hi-vis off duty on a bike, I just try to ride like ALL the other road users are homicidal idiots.....(and usually Im proved right)


Hi-Vis for coppers/aqmbulance/fire brigade are used by those working to limit the " well, you werent using hi-vis so we are cutting your claim by half..... claims from the clourts/insurance companies)....

ello Bowser BTW...

 

[Neil W]

We wear hi viz to try and give ourselves a chance from blind F*** wits who drive on our roads. That said most of the idiots can't seen a 2 ton vehicle with reflective markings, 5 sets of blue lights on the roof and in the grill , headlight flashes and a 100 db plus siren system but at least if you have a hi viz jacket on you can sue when the idiots run you down.
Its all down to 'conspicuity' ie standing out from the background. Only problem is that the research was all done by a committee funded by the manufacturers of reflective products.
Wear a reflective jacket if it makes you feel better but don't rely on it , much better to ride defensively and assume that no one else on the roads has either seen you or even looked

 

[WGD1340]

Wear a reflective jacket if it makes you feel better but don't rely on it , much better to ride defensively and assume that no one else on the roads has either seen you or even looked

Couldn't agree more. If someone doesn't or isn't looking/paying attention to what's around them when they are out on the road then it matters not a jot what you are wearing or what you have lit up. Sum dumb bint nearly wiped me out yesterday evening as I entererd a roundabout. She followed the car in front of her into the roundabout from my left, and I clearly saw the side of her face...i.e. she was looking at that cars bumper, not what was coming from her right side. Seems to me she was more intent on not running into it rather than being T boned by some soft GS rider. Even when I blared (or beeped ) my horn at her, she has yet to look in my direction. Feckin sprog in the back too.......

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

1. In answer to the original question, the amount of hi viz visible from all angles on a vest is significantly reduced compared to long sleeves. That's why I prefer to use long sleeved hi viz. I have a zip up one with a velcro tab to stop the zip coming undone. Minimal flapping. Bought it from the net somewhere, but can't remember where...

Followign a name change at work, I'm hoping that the current "branded" hi-viz coats will become surplus. If I can find a way to remove the branding, I might have a source of lightweight, Gore-tex lined hi viz jackets.

2. I notice some drivers noticing me when I wear hi viz - either all over Aerostich or a long-sleeved "vest" as above - and, as a result, I feel even more vulnerable without it, especially when its gloomy. However, I think I'm grown up enough to know that not everyone is going to see me so I really don't think I ride any more carefully or defensively out of complacency - I still feel very vulnerable on the bike. It's a little condescending to suggest I somehow assume I'm ok because i'm wearing hi viz.

It's true that approaching a T-junction on the major road in the dark, the hi viz isn't visible to a car emerging from the junction at all, and the reflective stuff only reflects light back towards the light source. With a car coming out of a t-junction, that's simply no use. However, with a car turning right into the minor road and me coming the other way, hi viz is still visible and the reflective stuff can still be seen. Whether it's enough to make the driver realise it's a bike coming is another issue, but it's never going to make things more dangerous.

(The only recent time I can recall being surprised by a SMIDSY recently, I was not wearing hi viz. However, one occasion hardly makes for a scientific sample size. And I've been pulled out on loads of times, but expecting it means it's less of an issue.)

The bottom line is that it isn't ever going to do any harm or make me less visible, and if it only makes me visible to a few people who would otherwise pull out on me, it's a positive.

 

[bowser]

If you imagine the spectrum of "looking", there will be expert traffic coppers who do lots of looking, people like the teenager who drove thru' the red traffic in front of me yesterday because she was drinking coffeee and chatting to her mate who do very little or no looking at all, and a whole load of people in between doing varying amounts of looking.
I agree with Bowser that if the teenager has you in her sights (no looking remember!) then your number is up. I am hoping, wishfully, that my Hi-Viz will attract the eye of most of the rest of the people most of the time.
Have I it got it wrong, Bowser, or have all your years in Traffic made you too sceptical?

I was actualy 10 years riding bikes on the Diplomatic protection group, and I dont think that hi viz hurts, but yes I am very sceptical that actualy bing visable is any real assistiance, because I am just not convinced that seeing you or not is really the issue.

And for me personaly I think it looks ridiculous, and no ammount of extra sfatey, even if it guarenteed I would never have an accident would persuade me to voluntarily look that stupid.

 

[colinw]

Statistics from accident surveys show that a white helmet can reduce your risk of an accident by 24%, wearing Hi-viz can reduce the risk by 18% and combined the reduction and be up to 33%, if you dont want to wear yellow and think thats un cool have a look at www.urban-glow.com.

 

[Steptoe]

So why DO police bikers, paramedic bikers, road workers, rail workers etc wear hi viz stuff. Is it all a big con?
.

It's "elf" & Safety. They have to, part of the job.

It only takes a millisecond flash of orange out of the corner of volvo driver's eye to make him/her pause.

So what about pedestrians walking on the pavement wearing bright clothes, neon signs flashing, all manor of other lights/ distractions happening all around. I don't see cars all screaming to a halt.

I dread the day where i'll be made to wear reflective clothing because someone else has decided it will be safer for me. All based on assumption.

if you want to wear it, it's not a problem for me, so why can't i not wear it without being told i'm some sort of fool

 

[gasman]

Hi Steptoe, we all make our own risk decisions! I totally agree that it's up to each person. I reckon everyone in this forum belongs to the "risk-taking" half of the population anyway.
This doesn't mean we can't debate it though. I do feel quite strongly about it cos I'm a big girls blouse, and I occasionally treat victims.
Re the pedestrians wearing bright clothes and the neon signs etc: neon signs are like that so people notice them when they are passing by. Not for health and safety rules.
I do notice brightly lit pedestrians too. I grant you, however, that if I was riding through a football crowd exiting wembley, and it was Dundee United vs Holland, and it was sponsored by EasyJet and Orange, THEN I would be in trouble.

 

[Steptoe]

neon signs are like that so people notice them when they are passing by.

People tend to become immune to things after being bombarded continuously and ignore them.

 

[gasman]

Too true...Hint taken !

 

[STUBBS]

take a look down most high streets and see how many high viz jackets there are do they stand out more likely they blend into each other.
at work we have to wear the highviz yellow vest until it was pointed out that against certain backgrounds high viz blends in certain conifers and grass banks.

 

[bowser]

Statistics from accident surveys show that a white helmet can reduce your risk of an accident by 24%, wearing Hi-viz can reduce the risk by 18% and combined the reduction and be up to 33%, if you dont want to wear yellow and think thats un cool have a look at www.urban-glow.com.

There are lies, damn lies and statistics, I don't doubt the accuracy of the statistical information. However I would venture that those people who would buy and wear hi viz and or white helmets, for the saftey value would by their nature be more sensible and cautious riders and therefore be less likely to be involved in and accident than the general riding population anyway, so to compare them to a group who are less cautious and sensible and then to say the difference in accident rate is down to Hi Viz alone is hardly accurate, and would certainly skew the results of any statistical survey.

If you took a random sample of say 100 of the maxpower/streetfighter crowed and monitored them for 6 months then made the same group wear hi viz and white helmets for the next 6 months I would be surprised if you had the same result.

Was the survey done over number of miles ridden or over period of time, as summer and winter light/weather conditions are different, amount of miles ridden are different.

Sorry but terms like 33% reduction are worthless unless you have the extra information to judge that statistic by. And certainly any statistic used to sell something must always be viewed with a degree of suspicion.

 

[Steptoe]

Statistics from accident surveys show that a white helmet can reduce your risk of an accident by 24%, wearing Hi-viz can reduce the risk by 18% and combined the reduction and be up to 33%, .

You can't just add the two totals up and and put that forward as a statistic thats laughable.

You should work for the government.

 

[shugie]

You can't just add the two totals up and and put that forward as a statistic thats laughable.

You should work for the government.

24+18=33, yup, that's government standard arithmetic

 

[STUBBS]

Statistics from accident surveys show that a white helmet can reduce your risk of an accident by 24%, wearing Hi-viz can reduce the risk by 18% and combined the reduction and be up to 33%, if you dont want to wear yellow and think thats un cool have a look at www.urban-glow.com.

suppose it could save a life the extra few seconds they take to put on may have made you miss mr sorry i didnt see you or it may have put you in his path

 

[WGD1340]

I was actualy 10 years riding bikes on the Diplomatic protection group, and I dont think that hi viz hurts, but yes I am very sceptical that actualy bing visable is any real assistiance, because I am just not convinced that seeing you or not is really the issue.

And for me personaly I think it looks ridiculous, and no ammount of extra sfatey, even if it guarenteed I would never have an accident would persuade me to voluntarily look that stupid.

One outstanding benefit of a hi viz vest is that it makes you easier spotted in the hedge after you sail over the ovlovs bonnet?

 

[gasman]

another is, that far from looking uncool, you look like a builder and no-one asks you for money !! (happens a lot round my area). Also, the coppers seem less likely to stop you. (happens a lot round my area, when
I'm on the scooter anyway)

 

[bowser]

One outstanding benefit of a hi viz vest is that it makes you easier spotted in the hedge after you sail over the ovlovs bonnet?

One down side is that whrn filtering through traffic, and you knock the wing mirror off the job BMW everyone can see you scrabbling round trying to pick it up and put the dam thing back on !!!!

 

[beemerboy9]

One down side is that whrn filtering through traffic, and you knock the wing mirror off the job BMW everyone can see you scrabbling round trying to pick it up and put the dam thing back on !!!!

Been there, done that - and now use mirror tethers on the RT! Haven't even come close to knocking a mirror off since.