im in favour of any visual aids to help prevent an accident .. some interesting views have been raised in this discussion. alot of ppl have said im not sure if its made a difference ? there are plenty of seriously injured bikers wondering... if they had been wearing hi vis wheather or not that accident would have happened ?
personally im lit up like a christmas tree during winter months with different colour reflectors.
Not bike related really but when i used to work for a lagre company it was their policy that all workers wear hi viz jackets, i got a right ole rollicking once from a manager that was looking out of his top office window and saw me walking across the works yard, he wasnt to pleased when i said, no not me!any way i thought you wasnt able to see anyone without the high viz on! well thats why you make us wear the fkin stuff!
Thanks for the additional feedback folks.
After the last two pages of posts the summary has changed approximately as follows:-
So far people who wear HiVis of some sort around 33%
People who agree with it are around 33%
Some people have not actually said either way.
There are some interesting comments regarding the use of lights.
Keep them coming folks
I seem to remember posting on this subject at length before.....
So for the benefit of those who weren't here then......
I have worn "Hi Viz" before, for work (on site) and for work on the road as instructor
Obviously when 6 to 8 bikes with riders wearing Hi Viz are on the road they can and DO make an impression on other motorists around them (if only for the disruption caused to normal traffic flow)
Now bear in mind that this was in the 80's
1...there were fewer cars/traffic than now
2...quite a few of those who were learning to ride/drive then are now in their 40's & 50's !
3....I lost count of the "ex" pupils who came to me afterwards and said that....
"riding a bike has made me a better car driver"
"I am so much more AWARE of road/weather conditions now, when I'm in a car"
IMHO
There are non so blind as those who WON'T see !
Some time ago (and don't quote me on this as it's not verbatim) Top Gear & the AA did "random" tests on visitors to the Motor Show
A large proportion of those who were tested FAILED the standard Ministry eyesight test !
(I heard it was something around 70% !!)
When you consider that attendees at a Motor show are quite likely to be drivers, it is no wonder that SMIDSY's are all too common these days ?
I cannot count the number of times I have proposed...
1... ALL drivers should be compelled to ride 2 wheels for at least 2 years before starting car driving
2... All concious drivers involved in RTA's should be made to take an eyesight test "at the scene" and as they were at the time
(ie. if not not wearing corrective lenses) and prosecuted automatically for dangerous driving if they fail when tested without corrective aids !
VANITY is all too common place and far more people require vision correction AFTER they have passed their test than you can imagine, yet there is no further requirement to prove a satisfactory standard of vision !
I don't ride with lights ON unless I consider road/weather conditions to be bad enough to warrant it
As mentioned earlier in the thread, a "bouncing light" can be mis-construed by an inept and badly trained car driver as a signal to ADVANCE
(I know it is contrary to the highway code, but too many still can't or won't grasp it)
The keys to survival on todays roads are :
1... eternal vigilance
2... treat every OTHER road user as a potential assassin
3...good road positioning
If I am following a vehicle I position myself for MAXIMUM visibility to it's driver ... ie I can see their face in at least 1 of their mirrors.
If after a "reasonable distance" they have not acknowledged my presence, then 60 watts of Halogen on the retina usually wakes them up !
You don't have to be aggressive with such tactics and don't do it as they are "looking" in their mirror as this could cause temporary blindness which could be dangerous to them, other drivers and more importantly YOU, if they brake suddenly due to a temporary loss of sight !
Well that's my 2 pennorth for what it's worth
If only 1 person takes head of "some" of what I've said, then it has been worth posting
Ride safe
Ride free
Em
Really cool hi vis vests by Tinwolf. A Leeds lad who has been making them for some time now. You can design your own too as I did. Check out his web page. Sorry don't know how to put the link on. Maybe Sandi can help! Ive had one for 4 years. And if you check out my pics on my profile from a few years back I think you can see how it glows in the dark when lights are on it
nice one emzed.. id like to back up on your point about about car drivers admitting there now better drivers because they have now riden a bike . ive also heard that more times i can remember . as a motorcycle instructor aswell i allways here from new start riders that are also car drivers :- "i cant believe how many people are now learning to ride bikes the same time as me ! im seeing loads of learners on the roads now .....
my well rehearsed reply " urm nope they have allways been there , its just youve never seen them " .
the law has now recently changed reguarding eyesight . check out http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/UKDSA-428980
RE your earlier post buzz ...
It still makes no mention of a mandatory re-test after intial driving/riding test !
As all new digital photo licences are "time limited"
(renewable after 10 years)
I would have thought that would be an ideal time to enforce a retest of the eyesight ?
IMO
Hi Vis - hmmm, I've ridden with and without, I've not noticed any difference at all. As has been mentioned above, car drivers don't actually look most of the time. Lets face it - if they pull out in front of a 44 ton truck - does anyone really think a Hi Vis vest will make them pause ?
No - the only safety measure that works is to ride as a paranoid. I don't mean timid or hesitant, but assume that every vehicle that CAN do something stupid, WILL do something stupid, and don't be in a position where they can hurt you when they do.
At the end of the day guys and gals - it's us that get hurt, not the box steerers. And it's up to us to avoid it, the government has no idea and MAG and BMF, although well meaning, are toothless in the face of overwhelming indifference, from the bike community as well as the rest.
I've found out the hard way - just because you have an 80 watt light, you are wearing a hi vis, riding under the speed limit, it's your right of way, and the idiot is looking directly at you - does not mean that he will not pull out and block the road 10 yards in front of you when they have nowhere to go. That one hurt, but taught me a valuable lesson.
Got away quite lightly, coupla broken ribs and a dislocated collar bone. Also proved that you can stoppie a GSX1400 ! Which was probably what saved me from serious damage, at 45 degrees my legs cleared the bars when I dived over the bonnet. That was about 8 or 9 years ago, and the last "accident" I've had.
Hi vis great in use some times , as i drive in the london area, & outside on the motorways, & have door mounted mirrors on my van ,& have found that when motorcycles are in my view, its the brightness that some times i just about see , as they pass in traffic , or on dual carraige ways ,but as im motorcyclist some 35 years,in practise & theory position on the road , lane , is vital, and knowing by antisapating & reading the road traffic , & hazards, is best practise to keep in mind .So radar on as soon as you get astride your motorccycle ............
Since starting this thread, I have been making personal observations while out on the bike or in my van. It occurs to me that in terms of day-glow, out of the yellow or red, the red is noticed first. However it needs to be clean and new. Once the colours get dirty or fade the effect drops off considerably. It's the same with reflective number plates.
No conclusions yet.
I keep on observing
Hi-vis can't possibly be less safe can it? Also, in fashion terms, I've always thought that a hi-vis goes really well with a huge sunburned beerbelly, pencil in the ear and fag hanging out of the mouth. ;)
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