+1

- Lane positioning: Ride where you can be seen, where cars are looking for other cars
- Ride defensively: Expect driver errors, especially near intersections or where cars are turning
- Hi-vis clothing: Neon/fluorescent is a big help for daytime and low light (white for nighttime)
- Lights on during the day

You want to be seen, to stand out from the background clutter. Give the 99% of drivers who are trying to drive well the best opportunity you can to see you. And always ride defensively, expecting the other 1% to not see you, especially when they are turning or entering from a minor side street.

Ride safe!

Although previous generations of the Planet Bike rear LED blinky lights have mostly been just okay in terms of brightness, the most recent revision of that light (the Superflash Turbo) which I picked up this season is absolutely phenomenal. For a $30 two-AAA-battery unit - the cheapest of the cheap - this thing is bright beyond all reckoning. I always run it in its semi-random blink mode, which frequently causes trailing MUP riders to hit the ditch mid-seizure; cars typically move two or three lanes away from me to pass; aircraft overhead are forced to make course adjustments. Hyperbole aside, I've had numerous unsolicited comments from other cyclists, pedestrians and even motorists noting that the light is bright and visible to the point of obnoxiousness, even in broad daylight - which is exactly what I want from a rear visibility beacon. You can usually get quality if you're willing to pay for it, but sometimes the cheap stuff works just as well.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. Hi-viz didn't help me avoid the last car collision... and I really haven't notice much difference in car behavior when wearing hi viz or not.

You guy's ever hear of the "Occam's Razor Postulate"? In the 14th Century(!) a professional thinker noticed that the most likely explanation for a phenomenon is usually, perhaps almost always, the correct one. Occam would strongly disagree that a collision with a car, no matter how traumatic, would be a good reason to dispense with hi-viz clothing as being useless. Only a cyclist could come to such an extreme conclusion based solely on personal experience. No wonder we have such a bad showing of it statistics wise. Blame the cars all you want. Occam would likely be more phlegmatic about it. Some of those collisions were the fault of the cyclist. Hi-viz gear or no, some moves or lack of awarenesses are going to get you clobbered.

H

I am not convinced the hi viz clothing does much during the day but I do notice a difference in traffic by keeping the lights on. I've had drivers wait to turn where I would not have expected them to wait. Driving at night, I have noticed how visible riders with the reflective vests can be and I am going to get one.

I doubt Occam rode a bike or wore hi viz clothing. He probably never even shaved...
I do base a lot of my beliefs on my experiences actually... and rather seldom on the reports of statisticians.

I've always suspected that hi viz clothing does nothing more than marginalize cyclists. If hi viz was so effective, I'd think most cars would be glaring yellow.

The new light yellow/green high visibility shirts and vests work well,I have noticed cyclists wearing them from perhaps 1/4 mile away, though I probably am more observant than most. I have some of the older style heavy duty safety vests-blaze orange mesh with yellow/green refelective stripes,in cooler weather I wear blaze orange,either a vest or shirts or a jacket.

Hi Viz is good, especially if you have it around your full torso front and back, with no backpack to cover it.
The idea is to get them to see you from farther away.
That does not mean they will treat you well as they roar by.
Bright lights are better for dusk or 'dark' weather, in busy urban conditions, you need all the help you can get; bright clothes, lights, luck.
You can make it better, but never guarantee complete safety.

No. Because people do not think that they will be in accidents and pretty trumps safety.

Two old style Leyzyne SuperDrive lights on the bar (~400 lumens each), Dinotte 140L on the seat post, hi-vis shirt or jacket.
Day or night, weekday commuting or weekend recreational rides. It's a hassle to remove the lights for a recreational ride, and I figure if they're on the bike, might as well run them.

Actually, people do assume they will be in an accident sooner or later. SUV's and/or sedans with outstanding crash safety statistics outsell lesser vehicles by a wide margin. Daytime headlights and/or running lights are the hi-viz paint of choice but, sports cars are usually bright red or yellow and Lotus Espirits come in what can only be described as highway safety orange.

H

I've got no problems with hi-viz colors and my decidedly un-stylish motorcycle jacket is just that. Fine in bike-specific clothing, but I can't stand the hi-viz vests for biking because they're an extra layer to put on, they get in the way of pockets and breathability.

If I had to put all my eggs in one basket, though, it would be in lighting. For daylight, BLINKING lights. I'm mostly a MUP rider so I have minimal cross-traffic, but whenever I ride my motorcycle where there is lots of cross-traffic, I run headlight modulators and I see evidence that I am suddenly much more super-visible than without. And that's on a big bike that's well positioned in the traffic lane and has me with my neon yellow jacket on. The relatively little riding I've done with day flashies on confirms the same effect.

There are a couple of very nice LED flashlights (I've grown partial to Fenix) that offer a flashing mode and can take a rechargeable battery. My local Costco last week had a nice $20 package of Eneloop stuff that I grabbed for my Fenix LD20, and I had recently bought another Fenix to have one always with my motorcycle that came in a package deal with a charger and some rechargeables that are basically the size of 2xCR123s (can't recall the battery size code). I felt weird at first spending $50 on a flashlight, but now I'm glad I did - hope I'm not rationalizing ;).

In busy urban areas and intersections, lateral vision is of extreme importance, blinkies wont do so well with this in daylight. IMO high-viz clothing is a must.

Perhaps it's a Clintonesque issue of what the meaning of the word blink is. I believe you be referring to little red blinkies and like you I don't put much if any faith in them in daylight. I am referring to very bright blinking white lights and you should not so casually dismiss them.

Eyes see movement, particularly unexpected movement, best. I believe even moreso in the lateral vision areas (though others may know more science). A very visible bright blinking light comes across as movement to the brain and gets you a slice of attention-share. A garish color can be more visible and comes through as unexpected if it registers in the brain, but I find is easier to dismiss. IMO, and no more than a 51-49 thing. In the end, both are good.

Great bit of advice, it's like firearm safety: every gun is always loaded, every driver is a potential idiot.

MY EYES! :eek:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=340806

SUV's
But relatively high deaths per million miles.


So do well in test, or in real world.

Me, I don't drive in solid walls.

What he said.
Front: Dinotte 1200L-PLUS
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=340908

Rear: Dinotte 400R DAYTIME RED
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=340910

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't heard of DiNotte lights before; going to try and find a local dealer in Vancouver and maybe ask for some for my birthday :-)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=341401http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=341402

Contrasting bright clothing. Bright green and red; bright yellow and red; orange and cyan... all these are hard not to see and tend to stand out in both bright sun and shadows.

Avoid black or other solid dark colors... it never ceases to amaze me that bike clothing manufactures even make black clothing. On my commuter I also add bright swatches of cloth to the bags to make the whole bike appear larger. I use strobes at dusk.

For night time wear, lots and lots of reflectors and of course bright lights.

it's not a question of if they will see you, it's WHEN they will see you. using hi-vis day-glo lime-green tops and very bright front and rear strobes will allow cagers to see you from a distance and plan their routes around you. when you ride in the dark you will need to add reflective tape, quite a lot, all around even on your clothing because no color is visible with the lack of light. hi-viz stuff disappears in darkness.

interesting web site

http://www.bikecommuters.com/2010/10...ebs-creations/

A visibility study conducted by the College of Safety (by Prof. H.H. Hurt) at the University of Southern California found that high visibility upper clothing was much more frequently noted by cage drivers than dark clothes. That, certainly, was no surprise.

However, there was a surprise: Bright shirts with long bright sleeves were, by far, more noted (seen) than those with short sleeves. It seems that a rider (motorcycle rider in this study) with a bright short sleeved shirt tended to be seen more as a sign than a person. When equally bright arms were added, the cage drivers were much more likely to see a complete person and react accordingly.

Motorcycle riders with black bikes and black leather jackets were pretty much invisible.
Black bikes (either kind) and especially black clothing makes a rider dissappear.

Joe

I'm local and I can assure you you won't find any dealers selling dinotte, they're mail order. Mail order wise, they're better ways to spend $500 than on that dinotte setup.

Wow. So much great advice on all these posts. Surprised by how many riders are openly eschewing hi-viz clothing, but hey, to each his own. Thought since I started this thread I would let everyone know what I decided to to go with.

First, a big shout out to tsl for turning me on to AlertShirt.com. Found some real bargains. I grabbed a few shirts (http://alertshirt.com/potmanco.html) and a great vest (http://alertshirt.com/brsave.html) that I will be able to throw over whatever jacket I will be wearing during these upcoming cooler months.

I also decided to add a front blinking head light and went with the suggestion of gregjones and a few others and picked up a CatEye (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). A lot of people suggested the DiNotte lights, and they look incredible, but they are just too far outside my budget

Finally I added these very cool reflective stickers from fiks:reflective. (http://www.ridewithfiks.com/collecti...e-sticker-pack) More effective at night, but they really look cool. Check out the wheel stripes they sell. If only they made them for 27" wheels!

So now, with a blinking red rear and white front lights and my hi-viz clothes, I really do feel like I have a more visible presence on the road. Might just be in my mind, but this stuff has given me a real confidence boost I needed after my accident. Thanks to everyone for the input.

dicken74:

You are doing the best thing and shall reduce the chance being struck substantially.

I urge you to also read what other riders have to say about riding techniques that help avoid getting flattened by an inattentive cage herder. There's a lot here in the forums; a of of wisdom, useful and practical advice. Myself, I've only begun to learn ;o)

Joe