Advocacy & Safety - How To Be More Noticeable

How can I dress or what can I do to be more noticeable to some drivers?

I routinely wear bright jerseys, yellow, bright red, or contrasting colors like bright blue and silver. There is a great expanse of material as quite a bit is needed to cover my 6'3", 240lb frame. Yet, some drivers seem not to notice.

I have a blinking red light I could put on my bike or wear on my arm, but that would only work with people behind me. I have had the most trouble with people from the side. Short of having a brass band preceed me, any suggestions?

Of course, I realize I may be searching for the Holy Grail.

I think drivers in general are still not used to seeing bikers on the roads. The best way to be seen is to have more bikers on the road; by doing so the cagers will be more used to seeing us out there.
But basicly aside from wearing a disco ball and strobes, I think all you can do is continue to wearing bright colors and keep you eyes out for them.

A friend of mine has put reflective tape (looks a lot like this stuff: http://tinyurl.com/yvjg4 ) on his frame facing each side. I did a similar thing to the handlebars of my above-seat-steering 'bent. It ain't much but it's something.

I think that if you can ride in the road (assuming it is safe to do so) rather than riding on the shoulder, you're more likely to be seen by a motorist coming from the side. My observation is that drivers are looking into the roadway for cars and that a cyclist on the shoulder is just not noticed.

Run a 10W halogen light. Or a blinker.
The time it takes for the driver to think "what the hell is that?" is what the light buys you.
Are you talking daytime or night?

Run a 10W halogen light. Or a blinker.
The time it takes for the driver to think "what the hell is that?" is what the light buys you.
Are you talking daytime or night?

Daytime. I was thinking about a bright light on the front and blinking red ones on each side. But I don't want to end up looking like an advertisement. ;)

UFO lights...They can attach almost anywhere. Any direction you can imagine. Versatuke lights..Seen them attached to cyclists calfes...Bright colors..Reflectized tape about the helmet, handlebars. I use the UFO lights for Blinkies on my handlebars. Reflecterized stips about your ankles.
Some think we can be better seen at night?
I have a small handlebar light that blinks during the daytime..Might that very light help out in being seen in the daytime.
In the daylight..Neon Green, maybe.

From a USENET discussion some time back:

FWIW

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometime back there was discussion regarding the perception of automobile
drivers of objects in the roadway, with some research indicating that motorists
subconsciouly are looking for width as an identifier, meaning that bicycles,
which are narrow and tall are at a disadvantage, no matter how many rear
flashers or bright clothes worn.

Does anyone remember this? I have searched the archives through the Google
groups search engine, to no avail. Don't even know the proper search terms -
have tried "width," "perception," etc., with no luck. I would like to read the
research.

Thanks

I remember something along the lines of research that was published that
because drivers are not looking for "small" objects like bikes, the bike
becomes invisible. As I recall it involved a study of basketball players and
a gorilla. Is this the one you are referring to?

Found it!

Article:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000A011D-C17F-101E-B40D83414B7F0000&pageNumber=1


Discussion:
http:http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=4jk11c.gr01.ln%40bud.garden.local&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dgorilla%2Bbasketball%2Bgroup:rec.bicycles.misc%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26group%3Drec.bicycles.misc%26selm%3D4jk11c.gr01.ln%2540bud.garden.local%26rnum%3D1


I can't locate the articles right now, but connected to the SciAm
article is the idea that in a fast-moving field, the brain has to
filter and focus on shapes and motions that are of the most
importance. On a road, this means large horizontal masses. A bicycle
(or motorcycle) is a thin vertical mass. So it gets filtered out, like
light poles and stop signs (believe me, where I live stop signs are
definitely not seen by a large number of motorists)."Denver C. Fox" <dnvrfox@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040620093357.19468.00000287@mb-m17.aol.com...
> Sometime back there was discussion regarding the perception of
automobile
> drivers of objects in the roadway,

Well, I don't have research of my own, but my theory is that if you
look like an object necessary to take account of as part of the
driving task, then you are taken account of. It's best, therefore,
to look like an-object-possibly-in-the-driver's-way.

In the cited article, basketball passes were relevant, gorillas were
irrelevant. Thus the watchers noticed basketballs, not gorillas,
even though gorillas are a lot wider than a basketball. If anything,
the article proves that width does not matter at all.

Folk wisdom among cyclists seems to agree with me. The usual rules
are that drivers will give you an amount of room equal to the room
that you give the curb, or else they say ride in the left (in the
USA)
tire track of the general traffic.

Worst, I think, is to get yourself defined as an object that can be
ignored. That's why I hate bike lanes.

Jeremy Parker

This is not only bad news for cyclists, but for all pedesterians..No wonder lots of pedesterians get run down each year up in LA...NOt too many people I know are sized as wide as a car...
So to the mind of the average motorists..ANy object smaller in width than a car is fair game? Bikes, Motorbikes, people, you name it.

Well I guess you could always put a rotating yellow light on your helmet. :D But even that won't always work. I was looking out my work window at a cop investigating a motor vehicle accident. He was sitting in the left turn lane with every flashing light on his car going, including his amber light bar in the back window. Wouldn't you know it, someone ran into the back of his car. The person's excuse? They didn't see the police car. If the driver couldn't see that many flashing lights on a Ford Crown Vic, they sure as hell wouldn't see someone on a bicycle, not matter what color jersey, shorts, lights they have on.


Just do the best you can to make yourself visible.

Daytime. I was thinking about a bright light on the front and blinking red ones on each side. But I don't want to end up looking like an advertisement. ;)

Neon Lime Green is the most noticable color. However, a lot of people also look for "sporty" type things like basketballs or kids playing ball or something rolling into the street so bright orange also attracts a lot of attention. The cateye blinkers have a mount that allow you to swivel the light about 15 degrees in each direction, so if you swivel it all the way to the left or right, it should catch the attention of oncoming drivers. Alternatively, you can run two white 3-LED cateye's, one with a red lens. Makes you look like an ambulance. AFAIK: as long as you're not flashing blue, it's legal.
I've seen someone in NYC run a HID in daylight, those suckers are bright, I saw it from almost half a mile away.
Unfortunately, being an advertisement is often very noticeable.

NOt too many people I know are sized as wide as a car...

Hmm.. maybe the obesity epidemic in North America is a result of adaptation to this problem?
:D

How can I dress or what can I do to be more noticeable to some drivers?

I routinely wear bright jerseys, yellow, bright red, or contrasting colors like bright blue and silver. There is a great expanse of material as quite a bit is needed to cover my 6'3", 240lb frame. Yet, some drivers seem not to notice.

A scary thought: maybe they do see you! I have no idea what it's like where you ride, but even if you're in a car the driving is about the same. Foot flat to the floor towards an intersection and at the last second slam on the brakes. I'm so glad I'm just a passenger!

Look at the other suggestions for a few tips, but my other advice is ride well into the lane and stand up approaching intersections where necessary to aid visibility.

How can I dress or what can I do to be more noticeable to some drivers?

I routinely wear bright jerseys, yellow, bright red, or contrasting colors like bright blue and silver. There is a great expanse of material as quite a bit is needed to cover my 6'3", 240lb frame. Yet, some drivers seem not to notice.

You could try not wearing anything at all... but depending on the motorist, some might just look away and plow into you anyways. :D

You could try not wearing anything at all... but depending on the motorist, some might just look away and plow into you anyways. :D

It's funny you mention this. I was stopped at a red light (in my car) when this statuesque woman walks past me in the cross walk. She was wearing high heels and earings, nothing else. She was walking like she was going to the store or something. The light turns green and for a good 30 seconds, not one car moved (6 lane road).

So I guess riding naked might help....... if you're a good looking woman. ;)

A Flash Flag and riding well into the lane seems to work fairly well for me.....even in bicycle unfriendly Knoxville, TN.

:)

-Darren

A scary thought: maybe they do see you! I have no idea what it's like where you ride, but even if you're in a car the driving is about the same. Foot flat to the floor towards an intersection and at the last second slam on the brakes. I'm so glad I'm just a passenger!

I was about to say this myself. I honestly believe that most drivers are well aware that they can use the old "I didn't see him" in court anytime they like, and so behave in a deliberately reckless manner. It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

I was about to say this myself. I honestly believe that most drivers are well aware that they can use the old "I didn't see him" in court anytime they like, and so behave in a deliberately reckless manner. It wouldn't surprise me one bit.Chris L, you hit it straight on the head once again. Damnit, maybe in our English speaking countries there really and truly is a difference between "human being" and "motor vehicle operator." I've got 30+ years of observation as a cyclist that says there is!

When I encountered my first cyclist on the road...I'll admit I did get a bit too close for comfort...namely I slowed down right on his butt to figure out what the hell that moving flashing thing is.

I still hate it when cyclsts only use blinkers in rear....a solid lamp really helps drivers know your position. I tend to use a solid rear lamp, and have a blinking lamp mounted to the back of my helmet. The blinkie gets the attention...the solid helps the driver figure out range and direction of travel.

Daytime. I was thinking about a bright light on the front and blinking red ones on each side. But I don't want to end up looking like an advertisement. ;)

Just yell really loud, Proud Liberal coming through.

Now that would get you some attention.

At night, I think reflecterized staps about the ankles are very effective..That circling motion is a real give away that a cyclist is up ahead..In fact freinds who have seen me at night, said precisely that...
In the daytime...Some have commented about neon green jackets..

When I encountered my first cyclist on the road...I'll admit I did get a bit too close for comfort...namely I slowed down right on his butt to figure out what the hell that moving flashing thing is.

I still hate it when cyclsts only use blinkers in rear....a solid lamp really helps drivers know your position.

It all depends, I've heard some drivers claim that flashing lights get their attention better. I guess it all depends on who's following you at the time.

At night, I think reflecterized staps about the ankles are very effective..That circling motion is a real give away that a cyclist is up ahead..In fact freinds who have seen me at night, said precisely that...
In the daytime...Some have commented about neon green jackets..

I prefer active to passive lighting. At night, I think something like a set of Planet Bike BRT Straps (http://www.planetbike.com/pop/3030.html) are more effective.

http://www.planetbike.com/images1/3030b.jpg
http://www.planetbike.com/images1/strap.gif

How can I dress or what can I do to be more noticeable to some drivers?

I routinely wear bright jerseys, yellow, bright red, or contrasting colors like bright blue and silver. There is a great expanse of material as quite a bit is needed to cover my 6'3", 240lb frame. Yet, some drivers seem not to notice.

I have a blinking red light I could put on my bike or wear on my arm, but that would only work with people behind me. I have had the most trouble with people from the side. Short of having a brass band preceed me, any suggestions?

Of course, I realize I may be searching for the Holy Grail.

A guy I knew did an interesting experiment that he claims worked for him. He took a 3ft metal pole sharpened on each end like a pencil and mounted it on the back of his bike perpendicular to the centerline of the bike. The theory is that people don't care about running you off the road but they sure are affraid of scraping the paint on there autos ;)

How can I dress or what can I do to be more noticeable to some drivers?

Of course, I realize I may be searching for the Holy Grail.

No, you are searching for a xenon strobe.

;)

No, you are searching for a xenon strobe.

;)

I was going to put the Holy Grail on a Flag Pole, affix it to my handle bars, like the prow of a ship. Surely drivers would see that. But I guess a xenon strobe would be easier.

Which reminds me, when I was younger, I replaced the headlights in my car with strobe lights. At night, no one was moving but me.

Which reminds me, when I was younger, I replaced the headlights in my car with strobe lights. At night, no one was moving but me.

What about the cops behind you trying to pull you over? Then again you probably looked like a copcar at that point.

What about the cops behind you trying to pull you over? Then again you probably looked like a copcar at that point.

It was a joke. One of Steven Wright's methinks.


Anyway, if you want to be more noticeable, run a red light or stop sign, ride on the wrong side of the road, up the footpath and generally just break the law. Apparently motorists notice cyclists when they do stuff like that. It also has the added benefit that they will therefore also have an intimate knowledge of every other cyclist merely by extrapolation. It makes us all more noticeable.

A guy I knew did an interesting experiment that he claims worked for him. He took a 3ft metal pole sharpened on each end like a pencil and mounted it on the back of his bike perpendicular to the centerline of the bike. The theory is that people don't care about running you off the road but they sure are affraid of scraping the paint on there autos ;)

I think this deserves some serious consideration.

A metal pole/spring device horizontally mounted with blinking LED's on each side. Have it arranged so that if they do hit the metal pole, it springs or whatever so it doesn't knock you over. I do believe that the average motorist is more concerned about scratching their car than hitting a motorist.

This also provides quite a bit of width to the bicycle. Make them folding so that when you hit the bike path or whatever, they fold out of the way.

I think doing something differently help, such as I bought a set of those super bright tiny lights.. one red, other white.. I put the rite above the 5 LED blinkie.. I don't know if its legal or not, but that bright white light gets attention, because its "different".

white in the back is most likely illegal. The color codes for vehiclaes are as follows:

rear Red, and to a very limited aspect amber

sides, amber...slow moving vehicles can use white

front white only

red ligts on any other direction is reserved for emergency personnel, as is the color blue.

green lights is restricted, since it metches traffic light green.

Amber is often acceptable for sides and protruding sections of a vehicle. However, don't use an amber light where a red one should be...you still need that red rear light.

Given I doubt a cop would cite a cyclist for incorrect lights, but it's at least nice to know how cars, trucks, etc have to deal with as far as lighting laws so we can match them as much as possible.

Strobes are legal for bikes but not cars.
I know people who stupidly race illegally on the highways and they put strobes on their cars so people move out of their way at night and they blow by doing 150+ mph.

How can I dress or what can I do to be more noticeable to some drivers?

I routinely wear bright jerseys, yellow, bright red, or contrasting colors like bright blue and silver. There is a great expanse of material as quite a bit is needed to cover my 6'3", 240lb frame. Yet, some drivers seem not to notice.

.

Bright clothes don't work well when the sun is low, under dark clouds and shade. The human eye losses it's ability to discern color at low light levels. I noticed while driving my truck that bikers become hard to see on tree lined roads when they go into the shadows from bright sun no matter what they were wearing. This is partly due to my eyes being adapted to the bright sunlight.

About year ago my wife and I started using very powerful "blinking" LED tail lights and head lights. They are very visible in bright sunlight and really stand out on cloudy days or in the shade. I change the batteries before any significant dimming occurs. The lights appear to have a psychological affect as we noticed that passing cars give us more room and nobody pulls in front of us now.

We used to use a flag. However, as I got faster, the drag became significant so I went to lights. An international orange flag is very noticeable if the pole is long enough to magnify the side to side motions of the bike and if there's enough ambient light.

Al

It was a joke. One of Steven Wright's methinks.

Don't get me started.

"They built a freeway in front of my house. I have to leave my driveway doing 55 mph."

"I came home one day and noticed that someone had stolen all my furniture and replaced them with exact duplicates."

"If you could drive at the speed of light and you turned on your headlights, what would happen?"

A metal pole/spring device horizontally mounted with blinking LED's on each side. Have it arranged so that if they do hit the metal pole, it springs or whatever so it doesn't knock you over. I do believe that the average motorist is more concerned about scratching their car than hitting a motorist.


Just steal the curb finders off some yahoo's lowrider :)

Seriously, they probably still sell curb finders in auto parts stores and they'd be about ideal.

HI haven't read all the posts so I don't know if anyone suggested this but I put tire flies on my tire valves and they work like a charm they light up only when you are moving but I get so many comments about them.
tip don't buy them from your lbs they are cheaper at the auto parts store. They come in a variety of colors but I stick to read and white or amber because those are the legal vehicle lights. A co worker got pulled over by a cop who made him take of the blue ones he had on. Said they were not a legal color for a vehicle????? and that only police vehicles could use blue.

Yep...red, white, amber....those are the only three that are legal for all vehicles.

There was a study done by a fellow who had been hit while riding his motorcycle during the DAY TIME.
A car pulled right out into the path of the on coming motorcycle. The car driver said he just did not see the bike coming.
The biker did a study of all car/motorcycle accidents that involved auto drivers pulling out into the path of bikers. Most of them said that they saw the bike but that it did not register with them.
This fellow developed a small electrical device that could be installed in the motorcycle headlight. It had and on and off switch. In the on position the head light would flicker so many times a minute. Just like railroad train engines, their lights flicker also. The off position was for night driving, when you don't want your light to flicker.
The study went on to say that a persons brain will pick up on the flickering of the light, and cause the motorist to realise that there is something coming that he/she needs to be aware of.
I had one the devices installed in my motorcycle back in the early '80s. And I noticed a lot of cars that appeared to start out into my lane and then all of a sudden stop because they saw my flickering light. This device saved my life on many occasions.....maybe that's what we need to do with our bicycles.
I'm thinking of mounting a clear, blinking light on the front of my bike. I know that when I travel down the road in my car, I can see the flashing lights of the highway dept. trucks long before I get to them.

Another vote for the use of reflective tape. In the spring and fall it can be quite dark in the morning as is. I use actual 3m scotchlite tape (LINKY (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=669337&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=196763&bmUID=1088099710587) [mec.ca]) so when headlights hit you from the side, your bike will look a bit like this this (http://www.thinktankproject.com/temp/bike/bike_stand/IMG_0828.JPG)[thinktankproject.com]

But yeah its just another reminder that a good safety tip is to pretend we're invisible. But yah I'm unsure how effective lights are during the daytime at all.

where a t-shirt with a sign at the back "POLICE", you sure will get notice and drivers will avoid you like a plague...

Or, to not get arrested by the POLICE for impersonation

use:

POLTICE
Or,

I support the

POLICE


THEY WILL THINK IT IS THE POLICE

Or, to not get arrested by the POLICE for impersonation

use:

POLTICE
Or,

I support the

POLICE


THEY WILL THINK IT IS THE POLICE

May not necessarily work. If they apply the same principle of law that they do to the "false advertising" laws (at least in this country), you can still be charged for "giving the impression" that you were impersonating the police.

There was a study done by a fellow who had been hit while riding his motorcycle during the DAY TIME.
A car pulled right out into the path of the on coming motorcycle. The car driver said he just did not see the bike coming.

The question is whether the guy genuinely didn't see him, or whether that was just a convenient excuse to avoid being charged. My instinct tells me the latter is the more probable.

But yeah its just another reminder that a good safety tip is to pretend we're invisible. But yah I'm unsure how effective lights are during the daytime at all.

Check out the 5 LED Vistalite and the Cateye Opticube. They are very noticeable during the day. Also note that GM vehicles and motorcycles have daytime running lights. I used a relay to pulse my headlight on my BMW touring motorcycle back in '84 through '95. Never had anyone pull in front or turn into me in 38,000 miles, yet something like 95% of all motorcycle road accidents with vehicles occur within +/- 5-degrees of dead ahead ('84 compilled statistics).

Al

A guy I knew did an interesting experiment that he claims worked for him. He took a 3ft metal pole sharpened on each end like a pencil and mounted it on the back of his bike perpendicular to the centerline of the bike. The theory is that people don't care about running you off the road but they sure are affraid of scraping the paint on there autos ;)

So...how's it working out then?? I have similar theory. I have my blinkie on the left seat stay and aim it slightly out. It gives the illlusion of being wider and cars give extra clearance.

Two thoughts on the subject: June 20 (Fathers Day) put on my flourescent orange jersey and went out only to get sideswiped in a hit-and-run by a pick-up that came up from behind. Not being seen was not the issue, but more to the fact that the a-hole decided to jack with the cyclist. As I sit and mend a broken arm and other sprains and scratches I am reminded of a driver pulling in front of my Jeep CJ-7 with 35" tires and more lights than a UFO a few years ago and saying they didn't see me.
There is no accounting for poor drivers and a**holes. We take our chances anytime we ride where vehicles are. Best advice I have:Put your helmet on and say a prayer.

Two thoughts on the subject: June 20 (Fathers Day) put on my flourescent orange jersey and went out only to get sideswiped in a hit-and-run by a pick-up that came up from behind. Not being seen was not the issue, but more to the fact that the a-hole decided to jack with the cyclist. As I sit and mend a broken arm and other sprains and scratches I am reminded of a driver pulling in front of my Jeep CJ-7 with 35" tires and more lights than a UFO a few years ago and saying they didn't see me.
There is no accounting for poor drivers and a**holes. We take our chances anytime we ride where vehicles are. Best advice I have:Put your helmet on and say a prayer.


I hope you reported this to the police.

I am reminded of a driver pulling in front of my Jeep CJ-7 with 35" tires and more lights than a UFO a few years ago and saying they didn't see me.
There is no accounting for poor drivers and a**holes. We take our chances anytime we ride where vehicles are. Best advice I have:Put your helmet on and say a prayer.

Yes, it's risky business and no doubt the claim that the driver didn't see the cyclist is a well worn excuse. On the other hand, I've missed seeing a motorcycle once when driving my truck and almost pulled in front of him. I was a motorcyclist myself at the time and couldn't believe I could do such a thing. It does happen that folks see you with their eyes, but it doesn't register on their brains as they are driving partly (mostly?) on autopilot. They are more "programmed" to consciously see cars and trucks than bikers. It's worse now with cell phones.

That's why being visible, having high contrast with the background to stand out is an important part of minimizing risk. I've seen statistics somewhere where cars of certain colors have higer accident rates than other colors. Two-tone pain jobs are especially bad. But there are other things involved in staying safe not the least of which is luck.

Al

I get to wear my neon orange jersey for work..The roads about the plant is one huge construction project...We have to wear bright orange reflecterized vests, but they only come in a winter fabric...Inland, it is hot..
So for work the bright orange jersey works...Half way ready (day shift) for the ride home...Just need a bike and shorts.
Jerseys can be multi purpose.

I got one of those blinking red lights as a gift when I subscribed to Ride magazine. I don't want to attach it to my carbon seat stays, and my seat post is not available as my bag is there, so I guess my only option is to use the elastic and put it on my arm.

How big of a dork will that look like? Out of all the riders I have seen, only one or two have had blinking red lights. I must admit, they were very noticeable to me, but, then, I am attuned to noticing cyclists.

Perhaps I'll give it a try this weekend.