high viz

[red98]

looking at the london foccers meet pictures,i noticed we are all in black no high viz or reflective strips etc...coming back through central london on the way home(it was dark by now) and then out the other side on the a40 and a very busy m40 .filtering at 50/60mph,headlight on,i got the impression cagers were not seeing me until i was along side,   so ive come over all iam`ish and thinking about getting myself a high viz.........your thoughts please foccers   

[Lazarus]

"dark time" riding I will wear a vest - they arent dear and stow away to a relatively small size.


if it stops you being bounced down the road.....im for it.

[Grahamm]

filtering at 50/60mph,headlight on,i got the impression cagers were not seeing me until i was along side

Erm, perhaps you shouldn't have been filtering at those sorts of speeds, then!!

Ok, personally I think the IAM's recommendation of "Twenty delta fifteen", ie you shouldn't filter if the traffic is doing more than 20mph and you shouldn't filter at more than 15mph above the speed of the traffic is unnecessarily conservative, but at least at those sorts of speed drivers might actually expect bikes to be filtering, but not at much higher speeds.

thinking about getting myself a high viz.........

If you've already got your headlight on, Hi-Viz is probably going to make bugger all difference when you're filtering. It will make you more visible from the sides and somewhat more visible from the rear, but your headlight is going to be what they see from the front.

Having said that, I'll wear Hi-Viz whenever it seems warranted, ie in wet or foggy conditions etc and at night when visibility is reduced because I'll take any advantage that's available.

[red98]

yeh....good points there...........m4o is 10 mins from home and is therefore owned by me    iam happy for others to use it but not all at the same time 

[stevierst]

With regards to hi vis, I'd rather wear it and not need it, than need it and not have worn it!

Just ask all those people who have been T boned by a car.   

[Pat]

In that scenario it wouldn't have made any difference.  Hi-viz (ie. the day-glo stuff) is only more visible in light, reflective material reflects light shone onto it, fast filtering on a dark motorway neither would be any more visible.

[justy1]

always wear a hi-viz. didnt seem to work for me on the 14th Dec when some stupid bitch opened her door on me which resulted in me coming off & snapping the ball off the top of my humerus! only doing 15 mph! to top it all she buggers off & leave me in the middle of the road!

ok, it may give you a better chance, but if the drivers not looking you have no chance.



justy1000

[Lonewolf]

I'm with Pat on this one, the day-glo works in daylight, crap under streetlights, and the reflective strips do what it says on the tin ie reflect light shone on it. I've often seen cyclists and motorcyclists wearing dayglo disappearing into the gloom probably thinking they're 'highly visible'......you're not! So if you get a vest or jacket I think the best bet is to get something highly reflective for best visibility.

[stevierst]

Deffo get the reflective strips on a high vis, makes a massive difference in the dark. They don't even need direct headlights on them to show up.

[budgiemurray]

Yep same.. Dayglow works well in daylight but scotchbrite is better for nighttime driving..
Look at jackets with decent reflective panels than lotsa yellow or orange..

Budgie

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[HarryHornby]

Kent fire service run a fab (award winning) course (ask Dazza of the photo game fame) for bikers and one of the sections is on hi vis.  It's a thought provoking session.
Main points I remember - Hi vis only really works when light is shining on it, therefore, if you are on an unlit road with no cars coming the other way, the driver about to pull out on you has his lights pointing 90 degrees to you and therefore won't light you up.
Think about your surroundings, hi vis vs the dull grey of a city is great.  Hi vis (yellow) on a county lane, in autumn when the leaves are yellow, with a low sun will not show up against the background at all.
Hi vis bibs are mostly hidden by fairing looking at the biker from the front.  Hi Vis with arms is much better because the arms stick out from the bike.
Dazzle camoflage..... in WW1 they camoflaged boats by painting them losts of colours and shapes in random patterns, this makes it hard for the person viewing the boat to judge distance and direction.  If bikers wear lots of different colours (helmet, leathers, boots and colour of bike) this can come into effect for us.  We alsmost blend into a drivers vision.  It's better to be a solid sillouette, and ALL black actually makes for a damn good sillouette during the day, especially against sun.
 
just some ideas....

[stevierst]

Effectiveness of reflective panels.

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[richfzs]

That's an interesting point Harry, about the dazzle camouflage - makes me feel less guilty about having black everything

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[Dead Eye]

Some very good arguments both for and against its use. Realistically its all boiling down to when and where you are riding and to make the correct choices respectively.

[Poodyboy]

really bastard loud exhaust, and ride to be well seen.  Never had a problem.  That said, lots of scotchlite on my kit.

[sadlonelygit]

are we going to go on about Z lines and all.
i've had people pull out on me when wearing hi viz. i 've had people pull out when i'm not. day/night it doesn't matter.
if you do decide to wear hi-viz, don't expect it to be a cloak of invulnerability! cagers have far too many things to distract them on their commute home to be concerned about your well being. if you put yourself in harms way, be prepared to reap what you sow.

[Robbie8666]

I wear Hi=Vix with sleeves that is the one that they haver to wear on M-ways over my jacket
Dont think it gives me cloak of invisability but at least if I have an off i have an argument that did you not see me!!
 

[red98]

some good points there especially harry    just trying to reduce the chance of an off.....at my age its going to take a long time to recover  .....going to excel next week so will see what they have to offer ...parhaps i can sell some advertising space on the back 

[ChristoT]

looking at the london foccers meet pictures,i noticed we are all in black no high viz or reflective strips etc.

I'll have to correct you there, Red. My jacket has reflective strips on the arms, shoulder, back & chest (the silver stuff on my jacket in the pics). Though small, they really show up in light. Also, my helmet (which is white) has 3 reflective stickers on the back for added visibility. And I assume no car driver knows how to drive. As the driving instructor taught my Gran - you have to presume all motorists are mad (except you, we hope). So far, so good!

[red98]

looking at the london foccers meet pictures,i noticed we are all in black no high viz or reflective strips etc.

I'll have to correct you there, Red. My jacket has reflective strips on the arms, shoulder, back & chest (the silver stuff on my jacket in the pics). Though small, they really show up in light. Also, my helmet (which is white) has 3 reflective stickers on the back for added visibility. And I assume no car driver knows how to drive. As the driving instructor taught my Gran - you have to presume all motorists are mad (except you, we hope). So far, so good!

corrected i am ..........we do look a bit dull though  .......untill you talk to us 

[Exupnut]

the whole thing about hi viz was originally about city's. if u filter in a city u r MUCH more likely to hit a pedestrian/city nob/angry twat/pissed reveller/or another powered two wheeler winkin his way through the traffic all tryin to get from a2b. all possible tragedy's.they probablly account for much of the road accident death toll.and higher preiums aswell. anything that makes u more visible in a possible crash scenario  situation is a plus. so iff u choose to put urself in a crash position to begin with then booshank to u my friends. out on faster roads the rules change. but the principle is the same. better visibility. if every one did just one thing their whole driving life wether they drive a car or ride a bike i think it should be....Observation.....Signal.....Manouever


observation.....look ....twist ur head...use ur mirrors....see it all...this is fun ...see what posibility u have????


Signal.......PREPARE!!! ...u know its gonna happen...quick life saver....and... bosch...


MANOUVERE!!! the best part....foccin shlapppp!!! throttle!!!!

[JZS 600]

I always wear  hi viz in the winter on the way to and from work. I started when I noticed that in the rain, everything turns grey in the spray and if I was having a hard time spotting the cars, they would have no chance of seeing me! Like Exupnut said, filtering like a bastard every morning through thick traffic and pedestrians can be a bit tricky and I give myself every chance to be seen.


In the summer, in bright day light, I don't think it has the same effectiveness.


My 2p's worth.

[red98]

I always wear  hi viz in the winter on the way to and from work. I started when I noticed that in the rain, everything turns grey in the spray and if I was having a hard time spotting the cars, they would have no chance of seeing me! Like Exupnut said, filtering like a bastard every morning through thick traffic and pedestrians can be a bit tricky and I give myself every chance to be seen.


In the summer, in bright day light, I don't think it has the same effectiveness.


My 2p's worth.

thats a good 2p`s worth..........i do lots of "filtering like a bastard" (lol) on the work run  aswell  ........dont really want the hassle of putting on another layer so fixing to my jacket and putting both on at same time would be good 

[wezdavo]

I wear one of these..
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hivis-Armoured-Motor-Cycle-Bike-Wind-Waterproof-Cordura-Racing-Jacket-HI-VIZ-/260987765881?pt=UK_Other_Clothing_Protection&var=&hash=item3cc4154479
 
The other benefit is, cagers tend to pull over when your in the outsite lane, mistaking you for plod i think...

[JZS 600]

Not bad! A white helmet and I think a few bikers would get out of your way as well