Has hi-vis had its day?

[Bristol Dave]

The title is a bit of a broad question - I'm thinking of yellow hi-vis generally.

Here's why. Over the past few weeks of my commute I have noticed more and more yellow h-v on the streets. There are school kids with vests, coats and bags; workmen with various amounts of yellow h-v; cyclists and dog walkers (and once a dog). There are quite a few yellow road furniture like keep left bollards for example. I think yellow is reaching a point where it is becoming 'everyday' and failing to act as the prior warning tool it used to.

Orange h-v is uncommon in comparison but I've no meaningful way to test if there is a difference. I think flashing lights work best of all for being seen but with the prospect of a glorious British summer ahead they are unlikely to be effective.

BD

 

[Rhythm Thief]

In some ways, the very ubiquity of the standard road worker's hi viz tabard will help. If I see one on the motorway at night, I can recognise it instantly as a person, rather than thinking "what's that? How far away is it?" while peering through the windscreen into the darkness. The same goes for when I see someone - pedestrian, cyclist, whatever - wearing one on an unlit country road at night. If you wear hi viz at all, the road worker's vest is about the best way to go. Whether orange is better than yellow, I don't know, but I suggest that drivers are more used to associating yellow hi viz with people and are therefore more likely to take care around it.
Of course, whether training drivers to look out for hi viz rather than people is a good thing is another question entirely ...

 

[Browser]

Hi-viz, no, yellow hi-viz, no. The fact that you are seeing it as you ride means it's done it's job i.e. attracted your attention. Orange would be good for variety but I always feel it doesn't show up as well as yellow.
p.s. I think it's green not yellow

 

[marinyork]

Yes, I agree it's not as effective as it might be because of all the workers such as builders using it and the so called POBs.

It's the eternal question of what will stop you have a date with a tin box. I'm sure it's useful for the good drivers or even some of the risk averse drivers whilst a lot of the bad drivers still will not see it due to dancing bear syndrome or something else. Last time I went out cycling with someone with hi-viz and we had bright lights on I noticed some car drivers giving us unusually large amounts of room, the same journey we then bumped into an older driver who was somewhat freaked about by multiple cyclists with Hope vision 1s and claimed not to see us and was merely talking to phantoms of the night.

I don't think orange hi-viz works well unless there's a lot of retro reflectives on it. The day-glow bit isn't much good on it's own, it works fine with day glow yellow or pink.

 

[psmiffy]

Hi Viz works - It does not matter there is a lot of it about - It enables the vast majority of competant drivers (the ones that are not looking because they are using the phone or fiddling with the CD?GPS you cannot legislate for) to see you earlier together with any other Hi Viz people in their line of sight and take measures to ensure a safe pass

Myself I am not enamoured with the saffron yellow hi viz at night - becomes inneffective under sodium lighting - whilst I own both both highway yellow and railway orange Hi Viz I prefer to use a cycling specific two tone vest - both yellow and orange with a lot of good quality reflective material on it - the latest Class 3 highway vests are going the same way

 

[HJ]

Actually I have noticed that there are more and more cyclist not wearing Hi Viz, this is a positive move, the era of bad taste is coming to a close...

 

[Norm]

Here's why. Over the past few weeks of my commute I have noticed more and more yellow h-v on the streets. There are school kids with vests, coats and bags; workmen with various amounts of yellow h-v...
<snipped>>
Orange h-v is uncommon in comparison ...

Orange would be good for variety but I always feel it doesn't show up as well as yellow.

In some ways, the very ubiquity of the standard road worker's hi viz tabard will help.
<<snipped>>
Whether orange is better than yellow, I don't know, but I suggest that drivers are more used to associating yellow hi viz with people and are therefore more likely to take care around it.

smiffy kinda intimates it but just to make it explicit, something I didn't realise until working in the rail industry a few years back is that there is an unofficial standard amongst construction companies that road workers wear yellow HV and rail workers wear orange.

I'm not sure why that is, probably for the reason that RT gives that we become used to seeing the yellow on the roads so we instantly associate the bright yellow with something squidgy.

Myself I am not enamoured with the saffron yellow hi viz at night - becomes inneffective under sodium lighting...

Hi viz does not work under any lighting at night. That's what reflectives are for. Hi-viz needs ambient day light to be visible, it is no better than any other bright colour under street lights or car / torch light.

I did a quick experiment with my kids just a few weeks back, I put a black reflective rucksack, a yellow HV vest and a yellow HV vest with reflectives on a table outside the kitchen window at dusk. Initially, the rucksack was invisible and the other two showed up clearly but, as the light faded, the HV became worthless and, with a torch, the black rucksack showed up when the yellow HV was no more visible than the bricks behind it.

 

[psmiffy]

I find that the suggestion – with the associated peer pressure - (even if it is light hearted ) that Hi Viz might be a fashion faux pa distasteful. I will take looking like a nerd any day if it helps me get home in one piece.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

smiffy kinda intimates it but just to make it explicit, something I didn't realise until working in the rail industry a few years back is that there is an unofficial standard amongst construction companies that road workers wear yellow HV and rail workers wear orange.

I used to volunteer on the Severn Valley Railway and I remember turning up with my yellow Hi Viz vest. They didn't like it at all and gave me an orange one to wear there and then.

Just for the record, when I say "hi viz" I mean something with lots of reflectives on it. The dayglo yellow is fine during the day, but no more visible than a yellow T shirt at night. Hence the name "dayglo" I suppose.

 

[brokenbetty]

It can go too far:

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2007/12/...council-paint-everything-else-luminous-green/

 

[psmiffy]

smiffy kinda intimates it but just to make it explicit, something I didn't realise until working in the rail industry a few years back is that there is an unofficial standard amongst construction companies that road workers wear yellow HV and rail workers wear orange.

I'm not sure why that is, probably for the reason that RT gives that we become used to seeing the yellow on the roads so we instantly associate the bright yellow with something squidgy.

The official reason given out by Network rail is that the orange will not become confused with the signals on rail - similarly wearing red or green is banned -which is strange as if you go to France where they use the same colour signals you will find that in most cases rail is yellow and road is orange

Hi viz does not work under any lighting at night. That's what reflectives are for. Hi-viz needs ambient day light to be visible, it is no better than any other bright colour under street lights or car / torch light.

I did a quick experiment with my kids just a few weeks back, I put a black reflective rucksack, a yellow HV vest and a yellow HV vest with reflectives on a table outside the kitchen window at dusk. Initially, the rucksack was invisible and the other two showed up clearly but, as the light faded, the HV became worthless and, with a torch, the black rucksack showed up when the yellow HV was no more visible than the bricks behind it.

I have worked on both rail and the highway at night under portable lights and the effectiveness of hi Viz is dependant on the type of lighting - Arcs and fluoresent work well in both situations - the bog standard sodium street light suck the life out of yellow -orange is marginally better - which is where good reflective material comes in - plus car light these day are a pretty good colour temperature and intensity for both colours

 

[summerdays]

That's why my coat this year is bright pink ... but I noticed in misty conditions that the Hi-vis yellow seemed to stand out the best.

 

[Bman]

I wear a Yellow, reflective waistcoat type Hi-Viz, like this one but without the black. They are part of our PPE at work so its free.

Ever since I've worn it, Ive noticed drivers giving me much more room than they used to. I wear it almost all the time and always at night.

 

[psmiffy]

Pink is good - my preference is red (another Fashion Faux Pa -Black is so cooool) with plenty of reflective material on my top and the bike - even though i am obviosly a strong advocate of Hi Viz I very rarely wear it when cycling - However, when I consider the visibilty to be poor or the traffic is such that I feel it to be not a bad idea then the Hi Viz is deployed.

 

[summerdays]

I don't tend to wear mine in summertime, whereas in wintertime I feel the light levels are poorer, and gloomier and I tend to wear dark colours. Friends sometimes stop me and tell me I've left my rear light on in the depths of winter time which I also do.