1nterceptor

"A study of motorcyclists shows head-to-toe fluorescent yellow does not always ensure you are visible.
Another, from last year, concluded that depending on the road and traffic the most visible rider apparel could be a high-vis jacket, a white jacket or even a black jacket."

Read the full article:
https://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...fe-fluorescent

krobinson103

Let see. Full daylight, high vis motorcycle armor suit, lights on, 2 sattelite stops as well as the central stop light and a truck still rear ended my motorcycle causing large amounts of damage, almost flattening me (thankfully the bike took the impact). People don't see a motorcycle/bicycle.

Rudz

There is always always always going to be drivers not paying attention. I wear a bright lime green sweater when I ride, I also bought an electric horn. Yet still I always have people who almost hit me in broad daylight, when I'm riding the right way on the road and not on the sidewalk. Just pay attention and you are less likely to get hit.

justonequestion

I just ride as I'm invisible. I wear a white jacket and a white helmet. After I got hit by a car on my old motorcycle, I tend to keep the brights on all the time now.

Burton

Visibility only counts when the driver is awake AND paying attention. My closest call on a motorcycle were while driving at night. Somebody driving an 18-wheeler the other way fell asleep at the wheel. That can happen during the day too. A few years back a women was killed in the morning while walking ON THE SIDEWALK by the driver of an SUV that had fallen asleep at the wheel. One of her neighbors no less.

Maybe its just me - I've noticed a disproportionate number of road kills are skunks - could have something to do with them EXPECTING no-one to dare challenge their space. I try to expect the unexpected. Will always remember passing one guy that was driving a little erratically - and noticing that he actualy took a swig from a brown paper bag as I zipped past his window.

Ridefreemc

Riding my motorcycle-When I almost got pegged from a passing motorist while leaving a parking lot I got upset that the guy was about to run up the curb (I was still out of the traffic lane) and take me out. Later on another roadway, I saw the guy again and saw that he was weaving side to side so I kept a good eye on him from a safe distance behind. At the next traffic light we both got stopped and I pulled directly next to him (only feet from his window) and looked at him. He was completing a crossword puzzle. I stared at him for at least 1 minute and he never looked up. Then, I knocked on his window. He rolled down his window and tried to (verbally) defend his actions - "I am paying attention!" Sure you are...

I was wearing a high-viz jacket. Moral of the story is, they may not even be looking up.

Notso_fastLane

I've only done this once, but in that case, it worked. I was riding my motorcycle (this was in Tucson) and saw a car driving very erratically. I was stopped at a gas station already, so I just called 911 and told them a possible drunk driver was on the road...gave them a description of the car, and the direction it was going (didn't get the license plate). 5 minutes later, I went by there, and there must have been a cop right nearby, cuz they had the guy pulled over and out of the car, giving him a field sobriety test. I'm pretty sure he wasn't drunk, just on the phone or doing something else, but the police seemed to want to make a point of making the test last as long as possible. I'm hoping he at least got a reckless driving ticket.

acidfast7

safest possibility = separate/partitioned cycle lane/path

ShartRate

I have rode motorcycles for several years now but just started commuting on a bicycle. When I ride the motorcycle, I usually have a hi-vis jacket and a white helmet. Same deal on the bicycle actually.

Do I really think that it makes me significantly more visible? Not really. I thought it was common sense for those in smaller vehicles to work under the assumption that nobody sees you. This goes double for the bicycle, as it isn't really possible to quickly pull away from a bad situation as you can with the motorcycle.

I'll keep my fluorescent piss colored jackets just in case though.

FenderTL5

From the article : the most conspicuous outfit will be dictated by the lighting conditions and local environment at the time, which may be extremely variable within the confines of even a fairly short ride.

I think that should be the obvious conclusion. Even a hi-vis yellow jacket becomes camouflage when the background is a similar color.

The comments concerning paying attention are so spot on.

hueyhoolihan

timely thread.

just yesterday i was on my daily motorcycle commute. lately, there have been doing construction on a section of two-lane highway, reducing the road to one lane. they have flagmen there to direct traffic and to stop either side when necessary. this has been going on for about a week or so. i was well aware that it was there.

so yesterday, as i approach, i see a LOT of fluorescent green/yellow. i had my eyes pealed for a red stop sign or the dingy yellow yield sign, but for the life of me, i couldn't find it. there must have been four or five guys wearing full fluorescent jump suits plus orange pylons everywhere. the traffic sign was almost indistinguishable. ya, i slowed down, but for crying out loud, enough is enough.

they need to consult a human behaviorist about approaching visual stimulation limits. or maybe just a little common sense, or a little field observation...

TampaRaleigh

When I got my first motorcycle, the shop owner told me that the 2 most important things to remember at all times when riding:

1. You're invisible.
2. Everyone wants to kill you.

I think that works for cycling too.

fietsbob

BLack Leather, Loud Chopper, and oily Colors vest 0ver it, and an Ugly Demeanor and they will see you..

and Maybe aim for you..

wphamilton

When I was motorcycle-only, maybe 20 years, I don't recall ever putting on anything "hi-viz". Or anything else special other than a leather jacket. Motorcycles are not hard to see regardless of what you wear, but they're almost as unnoticed as bicycles. You used your greater speed and maneuverability, and greater attention, to make up for their lack of attention.

muu

I like my zombie-barf green jacket for its waterproofiness more than the HiVis aspect.

ShartRate

I general, I've found hi-vis gear is better for getting people to notice you when you get off the bike but not necessarily while you are on the bike.

david58

I think HiVis is simply a baseline - it can't hurt, might help, and is certainly better than a pair of black jeans and a black hoodie. No matter how visible you are, though, and no matter how many lights you run, still can't make someone see you. Just make believe you are invisible...and hope you ain't.

SPECELIZEDRIDER

I ride as if that's true.

arsprod 

Every driver should take an MSF course. First thing they teach is every accident is your fault - that you should have anticipated what was going to happen.

krobinson103

Thats my assumption everytime I hit the road - motorcycle or bike. I actually sold my motorcycle in the name of getting exercise and don't really miss it. Still riding a bike its even more critical you assume that every single car on the road is out to get you.

WalksOn2Wheels

This is the exact reason I'm on the hunt for a neon, eye searing PINK jacket. You're not going to mistake that for a road worker.

I got a bicycle just after I got my first motorcycle. I biked off and on for years, and got more serious a couple of years ago with commuting. But for something like 10 years, I was all motorcycle all the time. Didn't own a car until I was married, but then it was still the one car and really belonged to the wife. As a result, when I made the transition to bicycle commuting, I was so used to riding defensively that, to this day, I have way less close calls than any other casual rider I know simply due to riding style. Operating any vehicle that doesn't give you a massive crumple zone barrier between you and all the other land missiles teaches you how to avoid the maniacs really quickly.

DXchulo

That's an interesting theory.

Burton

I can just imagine TWO drivers getting out of their cars and simultaneously saying "I'm terribly sorry - this is all MY fault!"

But its largely true...

Burton

Reality is a lot more impersonal but amounts to the same thing.

(1) Everything EXCEPT what another driver is concentrating on is invisible to them. That includes you.

(2) An accident on a motorcycle vs in an automoble has 35 the risk of being fatal and absolutely NO-ONE ELSE is going to go out of their way to look out for your safety.

Same applies to bicycling and again, its not personal - and its better to accept the fact and not suggest that others are 'out to get us'. Defensive driving might be optional if you were driving an armored military vehicle. Its a necessity in anything else and critical on a bicycle.

arsprod 

2nd thing they teach, never accept any responsibility!