Originally Posted by jppe
I'm probably not as brightly colored as I could be but I try and ride smart. I know the roads that are lightly traveled and try to stick to those. My club jerseys, both winter and summer, are brightly colored which helps. Okay I'll admit it, my stuff just happens to compliment the colors of my bike.
The biggest issue around my riding area is not being seen, it's those drivers that see you but are in a hurry and just don't give you as much room as they should. A good cycling friend of mine suffered a broken hip from a crash with vehicle where the lady tried to pass him after following him for probably 1/4 to 1/2 a mile. Go figure.........
I should think most of us are cardrivers, and hopefully we respect bikes, but how many car drivers have you seen that do not cater for them? Not many , but it only takes one of them to not notice a bike and it is ambulance time. I drive 30 miles to work and I regularly see 7 or 8 cyclists at 6.00 am on my way to work.They have bright lights and bright clothing. About 6 months ago, in the summer, I came across one of these cyclists in the road. He had been clipped by a car and knocked off his bike, The 3rd time in a year. Also the second time that the car driver had not stopped. He was wearing bright colours, and had flashing LED's front and rear. The car driver was apprehended as the biker caught the registration no. and phoned the police on his mobile. Car drivers Excuse "I did not see a cyclist"
One of the reasons I ride offroad is to get out of the way of cars. I still wear bright colours though, because If I have an accident, I want the search and rescue to find me. May seem farfetched, But as an ex-mountain climber, I know how difficult it can be to find people out on the hills. I then still have to be seen on the few miles I travel on roads before I get to my Trails. Surprising thing is at night. My top coat(s) have reflective strips in them and they can be seen by candlelight at a hundred paces. That is besides the two rear lamps and the powerful front lamps that we have. The number of times we have pedestrians walk out in front of us in the towns is now getting silly.
The attachment shows how bright the reflective strips can be. The lights on the jacket and the pannier top bag are just reflective strips
Edit addition-- for pastor bob.. In the UK there is an attachment you can put on the bike that is a Red reflector on a 12" extension out sideways fron the bike. Very effective in making the cars that see you get just a bit further away.