No more SMIDSY's

[Matthew_T]

(Probably the wrong title but I couldnt think of anything else)

Do you get to a stage where you are so lit up that you think noone can ever miss you on the roads and yet someone always does and uses the "didnt see you" excuse?

The reason for this is that I now have a very bright high-viz jacket as well as one bright light on the front, two on the rear, spoke reflectors, reflectors on my legs and shoes, and on my gloves.
I think that this is enough brightness for anyone to be able to see me on the roads, but has anyone had any incidents at night where it is impossible for the driver to miss you unless they purposely ignored you?

If you are of a brightness where other road users can clearly see you and have no excuse, should you feel the need to make yourself brighter or would it just be a waste?
Eventually you could get to a stage where you have got 5 sets of bright lights on your bike, a fluorescent hemlet, a light on your helmet, reflective arm bands, high-viz pants, high-viz gloves, reflective shoes, reflective leg straps, spoke reflectors, high-viz stickers on every inch of your bike, and a torch which you can use to shine in peoples eyes. Is this over the top?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

You're probably unlikely to get SMIDSYed, but no amount of luminosity will protect you from TIDL (Tough, I Didn't Look). There's a roundabout in SE London where one entrance onto it is from a very narrow tunnel (ye ancient Rotherhithe Tunnelle). It's unbelievable how many drivers get so afflicted by tunnel vision that they forget to look to either side when they come back out into daylight. Getting off the roundabout can be Rotherhithe Roulette...

 

[gaz]

Hi-viz above the waist is useless at night.
There is such a thing as too many lights.

 

[brokenflipflop]

When you learn to drive Matt you'll realise that...........

roads are for motor vehicles, not pushbikes

 

[Matthew_T]

roads are for motor vehicles, not pushbikes

Incorrect, roads are for push bikes. If it wasnt for us complaining about the poor standards of lanes in the old days, then we would still be on dirt tracks now. Motor vehicles found dirt tracks fine as they had suspension, bikes didnt.

The roads are for bikes, not motor vehicles.

 

[Matthew_T]

Sorry BFF, I might have misinterpreted your post. I have a habbit of taking things literally.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I think the thing here is vastly dependent on where and in which conditions you cycle. If someone doesn't look for you, they won't see you, whether you are lit up like a Christmas tree or not.
If you cycle on rural roads where you are likely to be the only other thing on the road, far less 'help' would be needed to be visible than if you cycle in a city centre with rush hour traffic.