Colleague just rear ended on his E-Bike :(

[Linford]

He was riding in this morning along a narrow country lane which is facing the low rising sun. Doing about 12mph, and car rear ended him. He isn't badly hurt (sore knee), and managed to ride in now, but another colleague said he nearly took him out as well as the sun had made such a big contrast. He wasn't using his rear light, Dark clothing, and no any high viz.

I'm not interested in the rights or wrongs of what the drivers should or shouldn't see...the bottom line is that if people don't make themselves visible at dawn and dusk, then the contrast between dark roads and bright sky is a reall challenge to the average driver, so please use your lights and give others a chance to see you.

As an aside, I'm on my PTW today, and had a 4x4 follow me without his lights on...all the other vehicles did....jusr crazy risk taking for the flick of a switch (idiot).

 

[Noodley]

 

[Twelve Spokes]

 

[ianrauk]

No light - check.
No Hi-Viz - check.
Dark Clothing - check.
Trolling? - check.
Linford? - Check.

 

[Leodis]

He was riding in this morning along a narrow country lane which is facing the low rising sun. Doing about 12mph, and car rear ended him. He isn't badly hurt (sore knee), and managed to ride in now, but another colleague said he nearly took him out as well as the sun had made such a big contrast. He wasn't using his rear light, Dark clothing, and no any high viz.

I'm not interested in the rights or wrongs of what the drivers should or shouldn't see...the bottom line is that if people don't make themselves visible at dawn and dusk, then the contrast between dark roads and bright sky is a reall challenge to the average driver, so please use your lights and give others a chance to see you.

As an aside, I'm on my PTW today, and had a 4x4 follow me without his lights on...all the other vehicles did....jusr crazy risk taking for the flick of a switch (idiot).

-10 crap attempt - Must try harder.

Nobber.

 

[Peter Armstrong]

I was driving along a narrow country Lane this morning facing the low rising sun, I couldnt see proper but I just carried on anyway, I think I rear ended somone on a E-bike. Oops.

 

[Linford]

No light - check.
No Hi-Viz - check.
Dark Clothing - check.
Trolling? - check.
Linford? - Check.

This is a colleague I've worked very closely with for 15 years. I'm not making jokes about it so I'd be grateful if you don't either.

 

[Mickthemove]

I'm not too good with the yellow face form of communication. What the next one on the sequence?

if you hovver your mouse over the yellowy thingies, it tells you what they are! i found that out ten seconds ago by accident!

 

[Linford]

-10 crap attempt - Must try harder.

Nobber.

Jeez...are you for real ?

 

[Sara_H]

Yes crap trolling 1/10.
For a start off, if your imaginary friend was riding into low lying sun he'd have been more viaible in dark clothing than in high viz. So the computer says NO on this occasion.

 

[Brandane]

Stealth mode is never clever IMHO.. Making yourself more visible to increase your chances of being seen is just common sense, is it not? Doesn't just apply to cyclists of course; I wouldn't dream of going out on my PTW (powered two wheeler?) without wearing bright colours and with headlight on, even in good visibility. Yes of course drivers SHOULD be observant enough to pick us out on foggy mornings, or into a low sun, but the fact is it only takes one of them to not see us, and it's us who get hurt or worse. There's not much consolation in being stuck with life changing injuries but able to say that it was someone elses fault.

Same goes for twonks who drive around in fog/heavy rain without dipped headlights, yet expect an HGV driver to be able to pick them out in their mirror when the back of the trailer is about 50' away, never mind the safe gap in addition to that needed to pull out safely .

 

[Spinney]

Not really sure bike lights would have helped that much either, not if the sun was directly ahead of the bike.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-illumination

 

[snorri]

Hi viz is invisible against bright sunshine, just like ****ing aginst thunder.

 

[Spinney]

Yes crap trolling 1/10.
For a start off, if your imaginary friend was riding into low lying sun he'd have been more viaible in dark clothing than in high viz. So the computer says NO on this occasion.

If he was riding into a low sun, he would have been a silhouette and the colour of the clothing would make little difference. However if the car behind had its headlights on, any reflective strips on hi-vis clothing may have reflected. Although as in my post above, this may not have helped much. But I don't think it correct to say that he would have been more visible in dark clothing.

 

[GrasB]

Unless you've got 'laser beam of death' style rear lights, eg. as intense as a cars HI rear light, then a rear light going into the sun isn't going to make any difference. Also the light would need to be in the silhouette of something dark. This would be emphasise the fact that in the situation you describe dark clothing would actually me MORE visible than bright as you're increasing the contrast.