i have been riding bikes for 34yrs and i dont think that hi viz makes a damn bit of difference.i very good friend of mine used to ride a honda goldwing painted up in a very bright yellow and he never went anywhere without his hiviz jacket and he was killed by a numpty in a car who said"sorry i didnt see him officer"it makes me so angry i ride everywhere and all i see is twats on there mobiles dumb bints putting lipstick on.at the rutland meet i nealry got wiped out in the carpark before we had even left.they are totally unable to comprehend that anyone else has a right on the road but them and hi viz will do nothing to stop it.the police need to take more action against them instead of just slapping their hands.maybe chop a finger off everytime they do summat wrong lol
Thanks for the additional feedback folks.
The summary is still approximately the same as follows:-
So far people who wear HiVis of some sort are a little over 50%
People who agree with it are around 50%
Some people have not actually said either way.
Night reflective strips seems to be entering the list with positive feedback.
The yellow or red is supposed to be DAY GLOW, but does it do what it says on the box? We can't really say. It seems that us being seen is down to the ability of other road users to make good observations. The observations made by other road users should include seeing everything coming towards them, or in front of them, whether wearing HiVis or not.
I do sometimes wear HiVis, but it is more of a comfort thing. However I take a view that every car I see at a junction is going to pull out on me, so I approach accordingly.
None of us really know what effect HiVis has on reducing accidents, if any!
i do not ware hi viz, never have never will, when i took my car test the examiner after the test, asked if i ride bikes as i did not just use my mirrors i was looking over my shoulders, he said all car drivers should do 6 months on a bike, because you are more aware of what is going on around you, instead of sat in a heated metal box with the radio on full blast oblivious to the rest of the world.
I agree, I have always said that car drivers should have to do a stint on a bike before they take their test. They should also be restricted to the size of car they can drive when they pass their test. I can say this because I felt that my years of bike riding made me more aware when I first got behind the wheel. I've never worn hivis anything, my father always told me that you don't just think about yourself when you ride a bike, you think about everyone else. I do the same when I'm driving.
I wear a his vis at all times. the bike has scotch lite reflective tape on the rear paniers. We partake in a dangerous hobby and if a car is going to wipe you out then it is giong to wipe you out. Atleast with hi vis it increases your chances of being noticed. especally at night it is very hard to see some bikes from the rear.
When I was hit by a car the driver had admited that he had seen me and still continued to perform his u turn. that statement plus my hi vis sealed his fate. he got a 12 month ban.
Bike riding should be the very first part of any driving education and that would make drivers more aware but the chances of that ever happening probably nil! HI viz? I usually wear it , always on long trips, but thats more because when I am filtering drivers see the big bike and hi viz white crash helmet and first impression is it might be the law so they get out of the way move over make room . Anything to make rides easier or safer. Having said that if I was on a sports bike wouldnt be wearing hi viz at all. people pulling out without looking isnt going to matter at all what you are wearing they will still pull out on you ... they even do it to police cars..... and you cant get more hi viz than that
I've never worn Hi Viz anything (except for when I was working as a motorcycle training instructor and they were compulsary) in 37 years riding, yes I've had my fair share of idiots pulling out in front of me but dont beleive that wearing a bright vest would have prevented many, if any, of those.
When I worked as a instructer I used to warn my trainees what to expect out there with an incident that happened to a guy who used to edit the Ariel Owners Club mag. As he put it, it was the usual story, a woman pulled out in frint of him and when he screeched to a stop and went over to remonstrate with her she came out with the usual line, 'sorry, I didn't see you'. Only thing was, he wasn't on his bike on this particular occasion, he was driving the company vehicle, and he's a firefighter....
Hi-Viz aint going to count for shit if the buggers don't bother looking in the first place.
Centurion -that story both made me laugh and frightened the living crap out of me!
Same story with an accident in broad daylight some 15 years ago - pulling straight out of a turning into me "Sorry, didnt' see you..." Broken leg, didn't ride for a year.
Generally don't ride with hi-viz, but always ride with lights on, but also ride expecting every car at a junction to pull out on me or someone in a traffic queue to do a U-turn.
Barstewards, the lot of them....
I don't wear a hi vis - I really don't think it makes much of a difference most of the time - if they don't see you it's usually 'cause they simply were not looking . . . All you can do is ride defensively and proactively.
As far as I'm concerned, there's not enough understood about conspicuity to justify recommending hi viz or even daytime lights let alone making them compulsory. There are some circumstances where they may make a bike and rider stand out and others where they may act as camouflage depending upon the background. Did you know that in the World War 1, ships with dazzle paint schemes suffered fewer torpedo attacks than those in plain grey; and in World War 2, aircraft were able to sneak up on surfaced submarines in daylight by having lights on their wings?
As others have said, when a high proportion of motorists don't even look or expect to see motorcycles, its all a waste of time. It's noteworthy that where there is more two-wheeled traffic as in London, an increase in motorcycle and cycle use actually brought about a reduction in collisions. Why? Drivers were expecting to see them.
So, NO, I don't use hi viz at all or even daytime lights unless there are specific conditions that require their deployment such as filtering. I just try to anticipate and treat everyone as a potential threat. I would consider using a 20mm, though since the muzzle flash should concentrate minds! I've been riding for over 37 years and I'm still here.
I dont ride with HiViz, I dont think it makes a shred of difference. I DO ride with my lights on, but the effect of this is being diluted as all these new cars have LED running lights . I DO ride defensively, as car drivers apart from rabbiting on the phone, putting lippy on, reading the paper (I kid you not), chastising the kids, et c etc etc mean that they are not thinking about anyone else on the road but them.
The other thing that worries me is the design of cars these days .. they are made to be so safe in event of an accident that the A pillar is so huge, you can EASILY lose a car behind it on a roundabout, let alone a bike .
But the authorities have GOT to come down heavier on drivers whose actions have caused an accident "sorry mate I didnt see you " can be roughly translated as "sorry mate I could not be arsed to look properly " ......
HiViz? not really going to make any difference IMO
Thanks for the additional feedback folks.
After the last two pages of posts the summary has changed approximately as follows:-
So far people who wear HiVis of some sort around 35%
People who agree with it are around 35%
Some people have not actually said either way.
There are some interesting comments regarding the use of lights.
Keep them coming folks
As far as the daytime lights issues goes, I ride a Harley Sportster that has its lights hardwired on perminently and a BMW that doen't, so I always ride that with the lights switched off in daylight. Can't say I have noticed ANY difference in my apperent visability between riding the two.
What I AM wary of is the possibility that riding a bike with the headlight on and riding over a bump could give the impression that I'm 'flashing' a car waiting to come out of a side road and giving it the ok to pull out.
...riding a bike with the headlight on and riding over a bump could give the impression that I'm 'flashing' a car waiting to come out of a side road and giving it the ok to pull out.
An excellent example of (most) folk misunderstanding the highway code. To flash your head lights is to let other road users know you are there, not to signal an ok for them to pass or move forward. Unfortunately it's been misused so long that almost everyone assumes that they are being given the go ahead.
I recently had a discussion about that very same issue Sandi! I wonder when folks started using it incorrectly and how it continued into the mass misconceived consciousness, because the rule has never changed!
I dont wear HiVis. In my opinion if your bike isnt noticed with headlamp on ( I ride on mainbeam during daylight) & loud pipe, it wont suddenly be noticed because you decided to dress like a lollypop man!
I've only been riding about 10 years but I know that my awareness of other roadusers increased tenfold when I did, people who dont ride & never feel vulnerable just dont have the same perception of risk that we do.
people who dont ride & never feel vulnerable just dont have the same perception of risk that we do.
I agree Al.
Also they rarely feel the cold like a lot of bike riders do so I'm surprised that they lack such concentration.
I have a hi viz yellow top I occassionally wore over leathers/textiles, but it was a choice depending on weather conditions (I've found that sometimes with the sun behind having a yellow jacket or headlight on breaks up your sillouette making you a smaller target to see).
Always had it with me though.
But the imp thing to me was that I had the choice
TBH I'm not convinced it did make any difference as if a driver doesnt look then it doesnt matter if you and your bike have been dipped in dayglo paint.
Hi Vis, daytime running lights........ all POINTLESS!! Once had a discussion with a copper who commented i was brave not having my lights on. Pointed out to him that i very seldom get pulled out in front of BECAUSE i dont use lights. He says he gets pulled out on all the time. Now the main thing was we both did same sort of annual m ileage and a Hi Vis police bike, with a Hi Vis wearing copper on board it gets pulled out on a hell of a lot, me wearing dark gear and no lights seldom gets it... Why? Well on the subject of lights, my reckoning is that car drivers only see the light as its bright and hides the rest of the bike and makes it harder to judge the speed, the rest is down to how you position yourself in the road. Me and my bike might be noticed later but it sure as hell scares the crap outta them when they do see it LOL My mate got killed with his lights on......... 2 x 100w halogen, ya reckon a Hi Vi woulda changed the outcome? I doubt it
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