Is it worth buying Hi viz

[Iainj837]

I was @ work the other day and one of my colleagues said do you wear hi vi i said not @ the moment she replied you should my partner does as I make him he looks like a christmas tree but @ least he will be seen

 

[marinyork]

Pros
(1) For day glo in the day it can stand out in many different grubby colours/backgrounds.
(2) Day glo can stand out for upto a couple of miles away in country areas with long sight of view
(3) Day glo particularly good in ultra dull/mildly miserable conditions (more winter based).
(4) Hi viz part can stand out very well in clean light.
(5) Peds who are not "oranged" out in cars can see you better at night.
Cons
(1) Make you a target for people chucking bottles/whatever at you or for assaulting you. Brings unnecessary attention to yourself on estates and in town centres.
(2) Extra layer to make you sweat
(3) You'll still get just as many very serious SMIDSYs.

Best off getting the freebies like Sheffield Council gave out.

 

[Iainj837]

what is SMIDSYs.

 

[MacB]

sorry mate I didn't see you(took me a while to work it out), you're braver than me I didn't have the courage to ask.

I've got the Altura Nightvision, a high viz waistcoat, high viz rucksack cover, bright yellow panniers and high viz cycle clips. I'm also looking to get a high viz windproof/jersey but may just go bright colours rather than the fluorescent yellow/green of the other stuff.

Really is up to you, I feel safer so it has a placebo effect at least. All that didn't stop a women driving into me on a roundabout in the middle of the day though She was really apologetic which made me feel a whole lot better!!! my very first smidsy

 

[Blue]

I noticed a big drop in near misses when I started to combine wearing white or yellow tops with riding in primary position a couple or years back. I wouldn't buy any other colour of top now.

 

[summerdays]

I have both a grey and a yellow night vision coat. I prefer the grey as its a size smaller so cosier in winter. But after a couple of recent SMIDSY's I'm back using the yellow one. I think it does help to make me more visible - an at least in court they wouldn't be able to use my lack of yellow as an excuse. Better than the unknown dressed in black with no lights cycling on the road on the wrong side that we just met in the car. Yes we did see the moving reflectors but it took another few seconds to work out that they were coming towards us, on our side of the road.

In the summer time when the light levels are much greater I don't wear it anything like as much.

 

[marinyork]

It's an ancient argument. Anyway I like other people this winter have been somewhat unlucky (or perhaps lucky as I haven't been offed yet) and had 3 very bad SMIDSYs. Each time was the time I went out in Hi Viz and had 3 front lights on. I don't wear hi-viz at all on some routes as the risk of attack has become too great.

 

[BentMikey]

I don't bother with hiviz, although I do have proper reflectors and lights on my bikes. I noticed a drop in incidents when I stopped wearing hiviz, and I suspect Blue's drop in incidents was coupled to his/her riding in primary, and not to the hiviz.

 

[Iainj837]

sorry mate I didn't see you(took me a while to work it out), you're braver than me I didn't have the courage to ask.

I've got the Altura Nightvision, a high viz waistcoat, high viz rucksack cover, bright yellow panniers and high viz cycle clips. I'm also looking to get a high viz windproof/jersey but may just go bright colours rather than the fluorescent yellow/green of the other stuff.

Really is up to you, I feel safer so it has a placebo effect at least. All that didn't stop a women driving into me on a roundabout in the middle of the day though She was really apologetic which made me feel a whole lot better!!! my very first smidsy

Thanks for that feel really stupid now

 

[HF2300]

If you're going to wear hi viz, (1) make sure it's got reflective strips or panels - non reflective dayglo isn't really any better than light coloured clothes at night, (2) unless you have specific demands for a top layer which is also hi viz, buy from an industrial workwear place not a cycle shop - it'll be a fraction of the price.

 

[Niall Estick]

No, I'd go for the all black stealth/ninja look and then ride in the middle of the road.
Drivers will see you more when they are about to hit you.

 

[fossyant]

Don't bother - folk still don't look......been on the end of two recently......

Hi Viz tabards make you look like a POB...so don't..... if you must get a proper jacket - like a nightvision, or hi viz cycling top.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

HiViz is not as funny as it used to be.

 

[HLaB]

I've got a colleague who drives buses for fun (each to their own) and in his opinion cyclists are fair game if they have no hi viz. It was probably just a joke but I don't want to find out; I tend to wear it at this time of year.

 

[Niall McL]

Started wearing an Altura Night Vision jacket for my daily commute a few weeks ago and whether it's psychological or not do feel like cars are giving me more room on the road.