Tips to Make Yourself Visible

[screenman]

If car headlights are working they will illuminate someone in black equally well as someone in hiviz red.

Not sure about that. Black against a black background hides quite well.

 

[Milkfloat]

@SkipdiverJohn If you take a look at the evidence you will find that actually wearing hi-vis does not reduce your chances of being hit. You may be visible, but will you be seen?

 

[theclaud]

. It's just as much your responsibility to help others see you as it is for them to be vigilant and look out for you.

Nope.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Not sure about that. Black against a black background hides quite well.

The background is not black though is it? It can be green, it can be yellow, it can be white. It can be a whole mix of colours and usually is.

 

[screenman]

The background is not black though is it? It can be green, it canht be yellow, it might by white

I presumed that the use of headlights meant it was dark, and around these parts in the dark the background looks very black.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I presumed that the use of headlights meant it was dark, and around these parts in the dark the background looks very black.

Not when light falls on it doesn't. If light is not falling on your clothing does not matter what colour it is. If light falls on it, it reflects its usual light frequencies.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Yes, up close they will, but if someone is wearing reflective stripe garments they will be picked out sooner possibly hundreds of yards away - not within colliding distance. Their presence is alerted much sooner.

My closest, most frightening, passes have all taken place in daylight with sunshine and excellent visibility, while wearing a red jacket, and riding a white bike with big, fat, white Ortlieb panniers. Most visible of all would have been my milky-white Glasgwegian legs spinning away at 90rpm.

Now, I know I'm not invisible it's just that a lot drivers don't bother to look where they're farking going or, more likely, have seen me and simply don't give a shoot.

At night time I rely on my approved lighting and that seems to do the trick very well indeed, even in winter when I wear a black (OM Actual G!) gilet over my red jacket.

So why am I getting more dangerous behaviour during the day, when I am visible, compared to at night when I am 'invisible'?

 

[mjr]

You can question whatever you like but the fact remains is that the more visible you are to other road users, the less chance there is of an accident occurring in the first place.

That "fact" doesn't seem to be true in at least two ways.

 

[classic33]

You can question whatever you like but the fact remains is that the more visible you are to other road users, the less chance there is of an accident occurring in the first place. Unlit roads and even lit roads where there are a lot of shadows cast can easily conceal any other road user who is not well lit up. You can choose to try to stand out from the shadows or you can choose to blend in and hope that all the motorists you encounter have super eyesight and levels of alertness and concentration. Personally I like to stack the odds in my favour, and if my dress makes me look like a builder who cares?

Your own argument against it was it's everywhere.

We'd be lost in a sea of it, Hi-Vis. If that's the case is it really safer. We tend to not see things that are commonplace, or more likely they don't register, having been seen. Within the workplace you are advised to keep your eyes open, wear PPE as required and appropriate for where you are working. You also tend to be watching where you're going more at work. It still doesn't mean you can just wander willy nilly round a site because you're wearing it, "everyone can see me" doesn't hold true.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

You can only stack the odds more in your favour in respect of the things you CAN influence. I agree there is too much indiscriminate use of hi-vis during the day, in situations where in reality there is not much real danger. You can't force the brain of another human being to actually register and act on seeing you, but if they haven't even seen you to begin with then they won't register you regardless. Making yourself visible is stage 1 of being seen and acted on, the observer then taking appropriate action having actually seen you is stage 2. Stage 2 can't happen without stage 1, so the more times in every 100 you can actually make others aware of your presence the more chance you've got of them not taking you out.
There's nothing anyone can do in real time to influence the reckless brigade or the ones too busy looking at Facebook or sending a text instead of looking where they are going. But then I regularly see idiot cyclists texting and holding mobile phone conversations whilst on the move, so some of those are equally guilty of being irresponsible and not paying full attention to the road.

 

[mjr]

Making yourself visible is stage 1 of being seen and acted on,

I am always visible, as far as I can tell. Please tell me how to make myself invisible. It could be quite useful in some situations.

But then I regularly see idiot cyclists texting and holding mobile phone conversations whilst on the move, so some of those are equally guilty of being irresponsible and not paying full attention to the road.

I think it's clearly far far more irresponsible to be phoning while in charge of a heavier, larger, motor-powered vehicle. This seems like the same sort of nonsense as those ranting against people walking and talking instead of devoting all their attention to the motoring gods driving by.

 

[jefmcg]

Please tell me how to make myself invisible.

The first lesson of not being seen is not to stand up.

 

[snorri]

Yes, up close they will, but if someone is wearing reflective stripe garments they will be picked out sooner possibly hundreds of yards away - not within colliding distance. Their presence is alerted much sooner.

Drivers would be alerted much sooner if they drove at appropriate speeds for the conditions, but motor vehicle speed limits would probably have to be reduced to help achieve this.

 

[winjim]

I am always visible, as far as I can tell. Please tell me how to make myself invisible. It could be quite useful in some situations.

Keep very very still and make sure you are only observed from a single vantage point.

View attachment 402945

Edit: Changed picture to a slightly more appropriate one.

 

[Ajax Bay]

The ETA article I linked to yesterday had a string of comments and one shared this link: https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/
which I recommend (be prepared not to agree with all of it).
Saccadic masking anyone?