Anybody that thinks that an adult on a bike doesn't look like a dork anyway is fooling themselves. The safety vest increases the dorkage meter from 60 to 65. Get over it. The safety vest works.
Actually I kind of believe that since most cyclists are NOT wearing them, for those of us that are, the drivers think "maybe that guy's a cop." I get people being RIDICULOUSLY polite around me when I'm wearing mine (which is always when I'm wearing a jacket or it's dark out; in the daytime when it's warm I get by with an alertshirt).
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Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.