Why cycling in high-vis may be not as safe as you think

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subaqua

What’s the point
Location
Leytonstone
3 out of 3 for me - I am uber cool :thumbsup:
is that why you are blue ??

I have a red jacket with some reflective bits on it. made by Altura . and a damn good front light ( 2 actually and 2 damn good rear lights) I know it is as a ninja bmx rider last night commented " cor that innalf bright, could see you when i was way back" thats as i was coming up channelsea path from Abbey Lane to Cam rd
 
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CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
[QUOTE 2246385, member: 1314"]conclusively proved that wearing non-hi viz put you into the top 5% of cool cyclists. Wearing black or grey made you a sexy cool cyclist. Wearing a walz cap made you a sexy mofo.[/quote]

I'm so uber-cool that I'm forced to wear hi-viz just to tone down my coolness to levels that fall within legal limits.
 

Mugshot

Cracking a solo.
is that why you are blue ??

I have a red jacket with some reflective bits on it. made by Altura . and a damn good front light ( 2 actually and 2 damn good rear lights) I know it is as a ninja bmx rider last night commented " cor that innalf bright, could see you when i was way back" thats as i was coming up channelsea path from Abbey Lane to Cam rd
You got scalped by a bmx?
 

Drago

Legendary Member
It's in the Guardian. Like Andrex, but not as absorbent.

Been out today with Woman. Driving back through Salcey Forest spotted 2 x fluorescent dots about a mile away in the gloom. We were within 200 metres before the florrie dots resolved into cyclists (2 roadies, one holding primary, the second wobbling all over the place, neither looking anywhere other than steadfastly ahead).

In the urban visual clutter it may be a different tale, but in the rural environment they allowed me to spot this pair at 5 or 6 times the distance I would otherwise have been able to see them. That's bad because...?
 

albion

Guru
Location
South Tyneside
It is the fact that rush hour drivers look for another vehicle.
By the time any thing other has registered it is just too late.

It is worse for motorcyclist who obviously go 3+ times the speed.
Its why I visibly make sure a vehicle is stopping on roundabout approaches, even if it irritates those who have seen me and are simply judging their timing down to millseconds.
 

Arjimlad

Tights of Cydonia
Location
South Glos
Time for this again...

advisigothbu2.jpg


But seriously, there are some builder-types on steel supermarket MTBs round here who think that their hi-vis coat means they don't need lights at all - even and noticeably on the unlit country lanes. Some of them pull over when a car approaches from in front or behind, others just pedal on and yes, pedal reflectors are very visible. There are even some who just have those and nothing else, wearing dark clothing and no reflectives or lights at all.

I sent off for some reflective adhesive stuff from a company which makes same for HGVs, I have put a load on the back of the child seat on my BSO. I have little slivers of it on my helmet. They also do some in black which shines white at night. Having been sat behind cyclists in hi-vis with reflective stuff on it at night, and having seen kids cycling at night with spoke reflectors, I think it's a very good thing. During dull days a hi-vis vest will stand out better than normal clothing, so I wear mine when it's raining, dark or foggy.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
In the urban visual clutter it may be a different tale, but in the rural environment they allowed me to spot this pair at 5 or 6 times the distance I would otherwise have been able to see them. That's bad because...?
In the two environments it is very different. For starters in the urban you can rarely clearly see a hundred yards ahead of you let alone a mile. Is it a bad thing to see someone so far away? Of course not, but seeing them only a hundred yards wouldn't make the situation any different.

With so many people wearing hi-viz in the urban environments, you often don't stand out for wearing it.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
That is why I made the distinction between the 2.
 

siadwell

Guru
Location
Surrey
I'd always wondered about placing a small flasher LED light angled 45 degrees outwards towards the kerb, so that it's more visible to drivers waiting in side roads, as most lights have their max brightness only to the direct front..............Anyone do this?

Nope, but a head torch can be very useful in such circumstances.
 
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