Police in Sussex have admitted targeting motorcyclists for not wearing hi-vis bibs.
The force stopped 150 commuters for not wearing hi-vis gear in a five-day operation and issued each with a bib which they were told they should wear in a road-side lecture.
A force spokesman said: “Riders were given a free hi-vis vest and a talk about road safety, emphasising the need to 'be safe, be seen'.
"Motorcyclists and moped riders are amongst the most vulnerable road users and often, in the event of a collision, the injuries are serious.
"A common theme when dealing with this type of collision is that other road users state they just didn't see them.”
Sgt Mel Doyle in the Brighton and Hove road policing unit said any rider not wearing hi-vis clothing was in line to be targeted.
“Every police car was issued with hi-vis vests,” she said. “The objective of the operation was that if we saw motorcyclists riding without hi-vis clothing, we’d stop them and give them a vest.”
Sgt Paul Wood of the same unit added: “We stopped motorcyclists predominantly during rush-hour traffic in the mornings on the major routes into an out of Brighton.
“We had a look at their motorcycles and had a quick road safety chat with them in relation to them being vulnerable road users and conspicuity issues.
"And then we offered them a free high-visibility vest and said we would encourage you to wear it because in a lot of the collisions that occur within the city, drivers have said we looked but didn’t see them.”
Wood said there were no plans to stop drivers to raise their awareness of the same issues.
He denied riders not in hi-vis were targeted and said those already wearing hi-vis gear may also have been stopped during the operation last month.
I for one often wear a hi-viz vest whilst commuting. When it's cold enough or wet enough to warrant it I even go as far as to wear a full hi-viz site jacket over my bike gear.
I also have a hid headlight. Anything to help you stand out is a good thing on the morning commute I feel. Everyone around you is half asleep and focused on getting to work and little else.
Everyone should wear one whilst commuting I think and as such I don't think this attitude of the Sussex Police is a bad one at all. As a road safety initiative I'd back it.
The other way to look at it of course is a cheap hi-viz vest is the best part of a tenner all the way up to a pretty fancy thing that Oxford do for around thirty squid. If the Police are handing these out for free, even the cheap ones, that saves us bikers that commute on two wheels at least a tenner I'd say!
"Don't really want a lecture at the side of the road."
Fair point Rob, but small price I'd say. Besides I am sure I'm not the only one to admit to having had more than one lecture from a police officer at the side of the road!
Making us "more visible" is not getting at the root of the problem, if a car driver is in a hurry or just plain dopey they just do not take the time to look properly, if someone cannot see a head light on dip approaching them then a hi vis will make no decernable differance, car drivers need educating about us and their haste is causing more accidents IMO.
I was wiped out by a dizzy cow who admitted she did not even look down the bus lane I was travelling in before she pulled out, a hi vis would do me no good in that situation.
It's a good thing that they are trying something to make us more readily visible, but having us all look the same to this extent is not a way I'd condone, (makes us more visible to police too eisier to target?) At the end of the day it is our choice to ware what we wish, how long before this becomes a compulsory thing?
I ware hi vis when I feel I need it too but to stop a biker to lecture him/her on the fact they are less visible with no Hi Vis is IMO a little draconian. And to admit they were not stopping motorists to educate them about the benifits of Hi Vis and to watch out more for bike users is very telling.......... As for the "we may still stop a Hi Vis user also", well is this just annother thinly disguised harrassment of two wheelers?
A good safety initiative I'd say but a shame car drivers aren't being targetted in a similar manner.
However, I expect it's far easier to stop the % of road users that are on 2 wheels without hi-vis clothing and issue them with a vest than stop everyone else.
I wear my Hi-vis H-belt 99.9% of the time and still get ridicule from my mates from doing so, dont take offence by this anyone,,,,my mates are sports bike riders and would never wear hi-vis gear as it would spoil thier image---tuff sh#t,,,,,,
I'll be aiming for 100% use next year and couldnt care less about any negative comments,,,,but everyone to thier own.......as i dont wear my seat belt much while driving car!!
This has been posted before but thought it would be good to post it again for those not around the first time.
youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
How many passes did you count?
I have to say after riding back from the east coast with BC some way behind with her fluoro jacket on, she stood out a mile. I was dead impressed to be honest and this was just a jacket with fluorescent patches.
Similarly, I changed Roachy's headlight bulbs for xenon ones with a whiter light and whereas before at night she disappeared on the motorway amongst a sea of headlights, I instantly noticed her standing out.
Yes, it would be very nice to "educate" drivers into watching out for us more, but at the end of the day we make up only 1% of road users and are roughly a third the frontal size of the average car. People don't see us because we are easy to miss, unfortunately this is a fact of riding bikes. It's very easy to blame everyone else, but we should be looking after ourselves, not simply expecting others to look after us.
If that means wearing hi-viz gear to at least help us stand out then we should do so.
There is another argument for hi-viz gear and this relates to your case should things go wrong. If you're riding a black bike, in black leathers, without your headlight on and someone knocks you off and uses the SMIDSY argument, you'd do well to have them in court. But if you're riding a brightly coloured bike, headlight on, you're keeping yourself in a position on the road where you are easier to see, travelling at a sensible speed and you're wearing hi-viz gear, anyone trying the SMIDSY is going to struggle to argue their case.
Hein Gericke have a good advert at the moment. It says "Black may be faster, but flouro is smarter!"
All of you can see what I ride and how it is marked up,.. (I've only taken my flouro jacket off for the pic). In built-up areas (commuting) or out in the wilds, there's not been anyone over the last 19 months of riding it, that has pulled out in front of me, or done a, what was it Geoff, a 'SMIDSY'?.
I think everyone should have at least some flouro gear on, or on their machines, especially the scooterists, most of whom seem to have a death wish,.. they do round here anyway! So for once I'd agree with the polizei's tactics too.
Over on the BMW Club forum there have been two posters in the last few weeks who say they've fallen foul of the law precisely because they were wearing hi-viz jackets! Especially when combined with a white helmet, all amid dark mutterings about impersonating police officers.
Almost goes without saying that one of the incidents was in North Wales. I see the new chief constable is a biker, so maybe a note of sanity may creep into the policing of motorcycling in the area.
Ah yes, this is true DS. Or you could listen politely, accept your free gift and if you still don't feel that you want to wear it, flog it on fleabay and make a few squid!
Up here for dancing!
When I used to wear my hi'-vis' sleeveless jacket I wasn't any safer, in fact I think car drivers saw me as a TARGET that must be got at. Several times drivers have moved over trying to get into my lane trying to take my place in it then realised they couldn't, the look on their faces was one of total shock, as if to say 'where the F did that come from?' I should imagine the look on my face was much the same.
If they can't see me with the hi'-vis' jacket on, sat right next to them, what's the point in wearing it?
Hi Viz can only be a good thing surely, do wish they would target pedestrians as well, now the dark nights are here on homeward journey from work the amount of folk ambling along all in dark clothes who step out in front of me is a nightmare
why dont they just bog off and let us carry on about our own business omg its getting worse than ever this nanny state in whitch we live or should i say exist in ive got umpteen hi viz jackets from diferent building sites so dont want freebees just want to ride my bike around uninterupted ! thats all so BOG OFF ! copper
its not them i have a problem with them Roachy they do a good job just wished they'd spend more money and time catching real criminals not just soft targets like your average road user !
i mean how much dose it cost to fly a helicopter around just to catch a biker doing a ton on an empty road it seams a little daft to me !
![Police target riders for not wearing hi-viz - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8mobileLQ.jpg)
![Police target riders for not wearing hi-viz - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8desktopLQ.jpg)
