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

[Davidc]

Perhaps only if they have weaker lights. If Gaz was wearing them, you'll never see reflectives before you'll see his lights. Well, not unless his lights were off.

Before I answer I'll say again that nothing can guarantee being seen.

On unlit country roads it's always the reflectives which show up first, even when lights as bright or brighter than Gaz's are used. Not exactly sure why but they do. It is also the case that good bright lights are almost always visible a very long way before they need to be.

Gaz rides in S London. The two environments are completely different, and as you say you'd never see his reflectives. Reflectives don't work under street lights.

Bright lights are always the most important thing, the rest of the kit is there to increase visual impact but isn't essential.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

The trouble is people are not prepared to pay the sort of money,me,madmikey and gaz spend on them and instead resort to the pound shop if you are lucky.

 

[Hacienda71]

The trouble is people are not prepared to pay the sort of money,me,madmikey and gaz spend on them and instead resort to the pound shop if you are lucky.

With the Phaart 1/2 watt rears for £2.50 at Planet X there is no excuse for not having bright rear lights.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Yeah, you can get CREE lights for not-a-lot these days. I recently picked up a T5 headlight on ebay for £30.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

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?

me, always done it, even when I was the newest of newbies
An extra precaution, as it's always dark here.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Why do you assume that I assumed that it doesn't go hand in hand.

Reading the words in your post.

 

[subaqua]

Before I answer I'll say again that nothing can guarantee being seen.

On unlit country roads it's always the reflectives which show up first, even when lights as bright or brighter than Gaz's are used. Not exactly sure why but they do. It is also the case that good bright lights are almost always visible a very long way before they need to be.

Gaz rides in S London. The two environments are completely different, and as you say you'd never see his reflectives. Reflectives don't work under street lights.

Bright lights are always the most important thing, the rest of the kit is there to increase visual impact but isn't essential.

incorrect. they do work under street lighting- not brilliantly but they do work .
Street lights are either sodium , mercury vapour or HID .
Hi viz gets a bit washed out and becomes a dull yellow or a dull orange under sodium lights even under High pressure sodium lamps. Mercury vapour lamps give a bluer/whiter light and are better for colour rendering but the daddy is HID ligghting which has a better efficacy - not efficiency as you are comparing Poawer in Watts in opposed to luminous flux.

and that bit there also proves my old college lecturer from 20+ yrs ago was right in that i will one day " need all that bollox" .

 

[GrumpyGregry]

for the record I never thought cycling whilst wearing hi-viz made you safer in the first place

for sure it makes you look ghastly, but safer? Not so sure.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Not changing what works for me.Couldn't give a t055 if I look ghastly.I look ghastly anyway.

 

[Oldspice]

Not changing what works for me.Couldn't give a t055 if I look ghastly.I look ghastly anyway.

Not what i heard

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Not changing what works for me.Couldn't give a t055 if I look ghastly.I look ghastly anyway.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Yawn.

 

[redcard]

I think 'ghastly' is over-egging things a bit. Get 10 CCers in a room in regular clothes and I'm sure there will be a few faux pas. The human eyeball is designed to cope with many a visual atrocity anyway.

 

[tyred]

Having one of those in my car didn't stop some prat from driving into the back of me while waiting at traffic lights a few years ago.

 

[Rustyoil]

As CC newbie I’d hesitate to chip in but:
I wear Hi-Viz and take a perverse pride in my cheap-ass MuddyFox wind jacket.

As a 42 YO I’m happy to piss off the stylish with my dad-look!

Some roadie “took me from behind” one dark evening last week in a narrow and busy village street cars / buses squeezing through both ways. He was wearing a red / black top and black shorts, which was probably fine during the day, but even (especially?) in the street lights his top seemed to fade into the background murk very easily as he whizzed away.

He was also use VERY small weak lights and I was certainly not impressed with his H&S routine.

OK he was definitely many times ‘cooler’ (and faster) than I am for Velo points, but I’m fairly sure I’ll be far more likely to get home to my wife and child while wearing reflective Hi-viz + my Cree front-light-beast. (LOVING THE £30CREE!!!)