Reflective Kit

[Moses]

To the All Knowing

Intend crossing France next month,what is required,in regard to reflective armbands etc.

Many thanks

Moses

 

[AlanI]

Extracted from here - http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/driving-abroad-whats-new-2012.html

"From 1 January 2013 all drivers and passengers of a motorcycle over 125cc or a motor tricycle over 15 KW/h must wear reflective clothing when riding their vehicles and in the event of an emergency stop/breakdown.

Clothing must have a minimum reflective surface of 150cm2 (approx 23in2) in total, either in one piece or in several pieces, and must be worn between the neck and waist":

In short then, you've got nothing to worry about for next months trip. Also note, it mentions quote "either in one piece or in several pieces". So, there is no requirement to wear a reflective jacket of some kind although in practice this may be preferable. My own BMW Rallye 3 jacket has lots of yellow patches (non reflective) and several small square reflective patches along the front of the arms. In total though, they do not meet the minimum surface requirement and I myself shall be wearing an additional reflective over-jacket for my trips into France. As I'm over the border upwards of 20 times a year the risks of being caught/fined are greater than someone riding through once a year.

Edit - I note that in the UK the Police wear yellow Hi-glow jackets whilst several French Police I've noticed simply wear a reflective band going from shoulder to waist and then around the waist.

 

[red1]

Don't forget your breathalizer !

 

[Andy B]

Can some explain to me the difference between 'reflective' and 'high viz'?

I am right in thinking they are two completely different things, so just wearing a high viz vest isn't going to satisfy the regs without the requisite amount of silver reflective tape?

 

[Mav]

Can some explain to me the difference between 'reflective' and 'high viz'?

I am right in thinking they are two completely different things, so just wearing a high viz vest isn't going to satisfy the regs without the requisite amount of silver reflective tape?

My assumption is that the yellow type material is hi viz but not reflective and that reflective is the material that reflects light back - typically the shiny silver material.

So this jacket probably doesn't meet the requirement as it's hi viz, not reflective:

At least, that's my interpretation...

 

[Time Traveller]

Hi viz means just that, clothing to make you highly visable normally day and night. So high viz will normally have silver reflective panels AND flourescent panels (typically yellow or orange. . .Though you can get pink too).

Lots of relective belts etc, Sam Brown belts and the like are reflective & flourescent colours. Though not all reflectives flourese (silver, green, blue and red relectives dont flourese)



reflective means it reflects light, so requires a light source (headlight, torch etc) to be shone,

flourescence occurs when UV reacts with the colouring to cause a glowing effect. Normally the UV is from daylight, so after the sun sets it is next to useless.

 

[Timolgra]

Can some explain to me the difference between 'reflective' and 'high viz'?

Clue's in the name

 

[John Armstrong]

so just wearing a high viz vest isn't going to satisfy the regs without the requisite amount of silver reflective tape?

Who said the reflective material had to be silver

You can buy tape in black what when light is shone on it it appears to be white, and here's an example, and AFAIK this is compliant with the regulations:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/stickers-decals/motorcycle-reflective-tape-kit.htm

 

[cookie]

surely anything you can see reflects light?

 

[John Armstrong]

surely anything you can see reflects light?

EN 471:2003 calls it retroreflective and has standards for it, here if you want to look at it, and I'd guess that the translations haven't added the retro bit onto the reflective bit:

http://chpt.co.uk/BS_EN_471-2003.pdf

And as retroreflection is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector it must be the right word

 

[Time Traveller]

Yeaaah. I think I'm going to unsubscribe from this thread.

 

[Wapping]

On reflection, I will go by car.

 

[digga]

On reflection, I will go by car.

don't forget your reflective vest in case you have a breakdown and have to get out of the vehicle

 

[Madmountainman]

Clothing must have a minimum reflective surface of 150cm2 (approx 23in2) in total, either in one piece or in several pieces, and must be worn between the neck and waist":[/I]

1.5m square... you've gotta be in the supersize tosser category to wear that amount of fabric between your neck and waist. Sandy would most likely be swamped by less than half that! Dumb ass froggies.

 

[Mav]

1.5m square... you've gotta be in the supersize tosser category to wear that amount of fabric between your neck and waist. Sandy would most likely be swamped by less than half that! Dumb ass froggies.

150cm squared is not the same as 1.5m squared...

 

[Wapping]

don't forget your reflective vest in case you have a breakdown and have to get out of the vehicle

Breakdown? I'm in a car, not on a 1200

 

[Madmountainman]

150cm squared is not the same as 1.5m squared...

Cheers Mav, maths and my brain don't work that well. 150cm squared would equal a square that measures roughly 12.25cm by 12.25cm, much better.

Which raises the question... If you have a top box fitted it could easily block any reflective surface showing on the back of a jacket, so wouldn't it be better to have it fitted to the box, or boxes, as previously mentioned. Eurocrats... bloomin eejits IMHO.

 

[mrsroynie]

I will be interested to hear of the first UK rider who actually gets pulled up on this law. A trip round the Toulouse peripherique (and probably the Paris one too) would quickly demonstrate how seriously les motards français take it. None of us want to end up having inconvenient conversations with the law when in a foreign country - particularly if we don't speak the lingo but, where France is concerned, I would tend to use the Gendarmes' latest get up as a guide to what is acceptable in terms of 'reflective' material ...

 

[Madmountainman]

I reckon it's subterfuge... from the clothing manufacturers. Biking overall appears to be in decline and they've secretly come up with an excuse to try and get us to upgrade our riding kit to the latest whiz bang design from them that incorporates the requisite amount of reflective material.

 

[John Armstrong]

I will be interested to hear of the first UK rider who actually gets pulled up on this law. A trip round the Toulouse peripherique (and probably the Paris one too) would quickly demonstrate how seriously les motards français take it. None of us want to end up having inconvenient conversations with the law when in a foreign country - particularly if we don't speak the lingo but, where France is concerned, I would tend to use the Gendarmes' latest get up as a guide to what is acceptable in terms of 'reflective' material ...

And I thought it was compulsory for them to have only a short sleeved shirt to protect the upper body. What is the world coming to when they wear ATGATT

Or is that just for the TdF?