High vis waistcoats

[Angelfishsolo]

There are times when a "hi viz" might be less visible than alternative clothing. In bright-but-murky weather, solid black clothing may make you stand out better against the background, when out and about in May with the rape in full flower then solid red would be better.

IMO, avoid vertical stripes as, whatever colour they are, they blend into the noise of vertical lines in the urban or rural environment. Most tops in solid colours are better than most tops with vertical stripes, IMO.

I also think that flashing lights (night or day, other than bright sunshine) are generally better than coloured tops, as they represent movement which we are conditioned to register as a threat.

 

[Red Light]

I guess by wearing one you can at least say you have done every thing possible too be seen. I had an artic pass me soo close this week on the dual carrage way. My bike threw the biggest wobble ever and it took every bit of effort too keep the front wheel straight. He either didn't see me or just didn't make any effort too move over even slightly. So a big yellow high vis would have at least covered the first option maybe

There is an alternative that says they see you far too early and then forget you are there or, like the helmet study, they see you are more experienced and safety conscious and therefore needing less room. The thing is nobody knows whether it helps or hinders.

 

[Red Light]

There are times when a "hi viz" might be less visible than alternative clothing. In bright-but-murky weather, solid black clothing may make you stand out better against the background, when out and about in May with the rape in full flower then solid red would be better.

Bright blue please. 10% of males are red/green colour blind and red does not stand out for us in the same way that it does for the other 90%. Blue seems to be an almost universally visible colour which does not exist naturally in much quantity in the landscape.

I also think that flashing lights (night or day, other than bright sunshine) are generally better than coloured tops, as they represent movement which we are conditioned to register as a threat.

Wearing normal clothes seems to be effective also - makes you "one of us on a bike" rather than "one of those cyclists"

 

[Norm]

Bright blue please. 10% of males are red/green colour blind and red does not stand out for us in the same way that it does for the other 90%. Blue seems to be an almost universally visible colour which does not exist naturally in much quantity in the landscape.

Other than a sunny sky... yeah, you're right, that doesn't happen enough to be a factor. There's a balancing act here, though. For the 90%, red stands out clearly in the countryside, where blue might not be so clearly defined against a horizon. Nature also takes red to mean danger, whereas blue denotes calming and relaxing.

My cycling tops are solid blue or black and my rough-weather top is hi-viz yellow, so I'm already practising what you are preaching.

Yes, natures warning; So maybe a black and Yellow rugby top in the guise of a wasp, trouble is they may see me but then feel obliged to squish me.

What rugby team do you support and why are you trying to make us all buy their tops?

 

[gbb]

Its your imagination, if you repeated the test tomorrow you'd get a different result and then a different result again the next and so on. Some clever person in a report could come up with explanation for each type of response from drivers but the truth is its completely random and varies from place to place, time of the day, congestion, season, weather, etc.

Amen.
I wear a highviz at times, normal clothes, or cycling specific on occasions.
I occasionally get close passes whatever i'm wearing, the myriad of other circumstances are too huge to factor in.

I'm not a fan of highviz, although i occasionally wear, but one occasion showed me the striking advantages it can have....i was driving on an unlit country road. As i swept round a bend, the headlights picked up the reflectives off a highviz top...about 1/2 to 1 mile away. It alerted me way way ahead of when i'd normally have seen him. I was really surprised, we see them in town all the time but they dont really stand out there with all the other lighting but in pitch black, they stand out like a lighthouse.
Of course, an Altura Nightvision (and a host of other cycling specific clothing) has the same reflective properties...but an industrial type highviz waistcoats bands are so much bigger, so much more visible. Only trouble is, they look like sh1t.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I've journied in all kinds of gear, and in my college days commuted while wearing bright yellow overshoes and a bright yellow top. It makes no difference, people still drive too close.

These days I just ride in whatever is comfortable. You could be engulfed in flames and people still wouldn't see you.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Just had to comment on what a top name "Parrot Of Doom" is ,, what were you thinking/smoking when you came up with that name

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I'm a television cameraman. A camera sits on one's shoulders, just like a parrot. Cameras are heavy.

 

[Red Light]

So, suicide by cycling, what would you wear and wear would you pedal?

All over hi-viz clothing, helmet, lit up like a Christmans tree with bright lights front and back - should be good for a SMIDSY within minutes.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I'm not a fan of highviz, although i occasionally wear, but one occasion showed me the striking advantages it can have....i was driving on an unlit country road. As i swept round a bend, the headlights picked up the reflectives off a highviz top...about 1/2 to 1 mile away. It alerted me way way ahead of when i'd normally have seen him.

There are people on here who will tell you that this is impossible. But you're absolutely right, at night a hi viz tabard is absolutely the bee's knees for helping drivers to see cyclists. I don't tend to wear one during the day any more but I usually wear one in the dark.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Just had to comment on what a top name "Parrot Of Doom" is ,, what were you thinking/smoking when you came up with that name

Perhaps it's in memoriam to the Parrots of Penzance, now the have ceased to be?

 

[funnymummy]

I'm not a fan of HiVis waistcoats/vests simply because wearing them over normal clothes make me far too hot & sweaty in summer, but I do have an Altura night vision evo jacket that I wear in the dark/cold.

I recently was shopping in Decathlon & bought a couple of T shirts, theyr'e not cycle specific but are lightweight & wicking,, One is bright pink one is bright yellow, not exactly HiVis but definatly bright enough to be noticed (in theory) by folk in tin boxes

 

[sheddy]

Go run the experiment again, without fastening down the front.
The trick with a waistcoat is to let it flap and wear a cap (woolly hat in winter)

You are after the 'aggressive workman' look. Works for me.

My other tip is not to ride in a straight line near junctions - motons may see you due to the sideways movement

 

[asterix]

Parrot of Doom used to frequent cycling forums as a petrol head troll. My guess was that the P and D letters meant 'Petrol' or 'Diesel'!

His style was very difference to the new Parrot and he was eventually banned!

I agree with RT that it is would not be hard to detect a high viz at those sorts of distances. When driving I occasionally test myself when I see an object by using the odometer to see how far away it was. During the day in reasonable conditions I can spot a cyclist without high viz at least half a mile away but maybe it depends on the individual's eyesight?

It makes sense to wear high vis at night but during the day it really shouldn't be necessary and I do not wear it. OTOH I frequently use a white cycle helmet because I when cycling on country roads with hedges, have noticed they are easier to spot and very often the head of a cyclist is the first warning a driver gets before rounding a bend.

 

[Banjo]

Retro reflective is amazingly good ,sat ouitside one night one of the boys was shining a minimaglite torch about and I noticed a flash of light about 1/4 mile away.Got him to do it again , it was bouncing back off a reflective road sign.

During the day bright orange works well for me.Very little orange stuff ion the fields or hedgerows. Out in murky conditions with some friends one had an orange jacket and was noticeably more visible than the other guys.Trouble is that different eyes see colour differently .