Tips to Make Yourself Visible

[Andy_R]

[QUOTE 5056750, member: 9609"]do you have any evidence that it doesnt?

its a bit like the global warming deniers, virtually every scientist in the world says its happening but an occasional loon pops up and says it isnt. Same with health and safety, 99.9% say hi-viz and hi-reflective improves your chances of being seen, and I believe them.

If your going to go against the overwhelming weight of opinion of the experts then please show us your evidence.[/QUOTE]
What about the experts that recommend the use of good road positioning instead of relying on hi-viz. You know, the people who wrote the National standard....If you're riding in the gutter - which the vast majority still do - in the blind spot created by the A pillar then you could be lit up light a christmas tree on acid, and still not be seen.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Have a read of this.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/transport-institute/pdfs/glen-koorey.pdf

Plus this

https://can.org.nz/canpolicy/high-visibility-clothing-provisional

 

[bladesman73]

Not just at night but generally things that will get drivers to see you in a low sun or coming down the road. Hi viz obviously, flashing lights even on a bright day? got knocked off last month at a roundabout because the driver couldn't see me in the low sun. ordered a new bike today but trying to think of ways to mitigate the risk. Going to try to get more accessories in yellow or orange and have my lights flashing day or night. Anything else without turning myself into blackpool illuminations

The day they deck out black cars in hiz viz is the day i will wear it. Lights are sufficient

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Wear black, don't use lights, ride no-handed, ride 3 abreast, don't wear a helmet - every fecker sees you and shouts stuff telling you that you are not using/wearing/doing things they think you should/shouldn't

This could be expanded to be a bit like train spotting but call it cyclist spotting.

 

[theclaud]

[QUOTE 5056913, member: 9609"] it most certainly has its uses and benefits[/QUOTE]
Such as?

 

[BoldonLad]

AnotherCyclist

• BoldonLad
• 19 Nov 2017

Low winter sun.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Post something political...you'll be seen soon enough

 

[mjr]

Such as?

Well, if you're out of toilet paper...

 

[NorthernDave]

As I've posted over in the "Your ride today" thread, I suffered an unusually high number of close passes today - far, far more than I'd normally expect on that route.

What was different about today? All I can think is that I normally wear dark coloured cycling tops, but today I was wearing a hi-viz orange windproof jacket in an attempt to keep warm...

 

[Lonestar]

[QUOTE 5056918, member: 9609"]here be one I spotted a while back

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-5hrg0P84o[/QUOTE]

I see.A ninja cyclist.

 

[Slick]

Conclusive then.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@GrumpyGregry said "Any evidence other than anecdata?"

[QUOTE 5056750, member: 9609"]do you have any evidence that [you can't stack the odds in your favour by how you look and how you ride]
its a bit like the global warming deniers, virtually every scientist in the world says its happening but an occasional loon pops up and says it isnt. Same with health and safety, 99.9% say hi-viz and hi-reflective improves your chances of being seen, and I believe them.
If your going to go against the overwhelming weight of opinion of the experts then please show us your evidence.[/QUOTE]
With respect, how about quoting or referring to the "overwhelming weight of opinion of the experts" who say that "hi-viz and hi-reflective improves your chances of being seen" - ie show us the evidence. Then maybe we can look at and make comment on that. You have to make the case first rather than say to someone "where's your evidence that what I say is wrong?". If the body of opinion (hopefully evidence based) is at "99.99%" then you should have little trouble finding material to back up your proposal.
Every time I see 99.99% I'm reminded of the Royal Marines Commando advert "99.99% need not apply".
The difference with this versus global warming is that there's a large majority which support the concern about global warming and they back that up with good science.

 

[smutchin]

[QUOTE 5057049, member: 9609"]The overwhelming pointer that it works is virtually every one in the world of health and safety says it does[/QUOTE]

Citation needed

 

[Drago]

[QUOTE 5057049, member: 9609"]No, I think it is up to those who say hi-viz, Hi-reflec is of no use to put forward their proof. It is the standard throughout Industry and all of the emergency services throughout Europe and possibly the world. If anyone thinks it is complete bunkum then lets see the evidence. The overwhelming pointer that it works is virtually every one in the world of health and safety says it does - are they all wrong?

I have posted two videos in this thread that show a clear difference between hi-reflec and dressing as a ninja, if you don't feel one is more visible than the other than fair enough, do what you feel is best for yourself, I have put a fair bit of time and consideration into what I think works best for my type of cycling and for me hi-reflec at night is an absolute must, I'm not telling anyone else they should wear it, non of my business really.

I completely agree other road users should be seeing you no matter what you wear, and I admire the optimism in those who believe other road users will always see you, sadly I think I share the road with utter morons and I am not even 100% convinced they will always see me with all my lights and reflective stuff, but I do believe they are more likely to see me if I am wearing it.[/QUOTE]

One may well be more visible than another. One may be more consipuous than another. However, there's little evidence of any link to casualty reduction in any area of activity, which would suggest that the problem is something other than one of conspicuity. The TRL's own research into the matter on behalf of the government found no firm safety link. The Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology did some more recent research, and the results were ambiguous, so far below the statistical noise level they failed to prove the point the H.O. were hoping to make, so was never published.

Hit Google and you'll find more about sightings of Lord Lucan than you will of even mediocre evidence linking hi vis clothing to casualty reduction.

 

[PaulSB]

One may well be more visible than another. One may be more consipuous than another. However, there's little evidence of any link to casualty reduction in any area of activity, which would suggest that the problem is something other than one of conspicuity. The TRL's own research into the matter on behalf of the government found no firm safety link. The Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology did some more recent research, and the results were ambiguous, so far below the statistical noise level they failed to prove the point the H.O. were hoping to make, so was never published.

Hit Google and you'll find more about sightings of Lord Lucan than you will of even mediocre evidence linking hi vis clothing to casualty reduction.

You're quite correct in this point, it's something I've googled on more than one occasion and most recently in relation to this thread. It's a very strange situation when one considers the vast amount of hi viz worn in so many different industries and situations. One would imagine there there would be definitive piece of work to demonstrate the link between clothing colour and casualty rates as I can't imagine industry investing millions in clothing without evidence to support this.

Possibly there is research to demonstrate some colours are more conspicuous than others and it is worthwhile making people more visible in many situations in order to prevent accidents which does reduce casualty rates. It's accident prevention and not casualty rate that needs proving. If that makes sense?

Where I struggle with the arguments against hi viz or other bright clothing is this. As cyclists I believe we are more aware of our surroundings than drivers, I feel this carries over to my driving, I hope I'm not alone in this, and expect my anticipation or observation of less visible objects to be higher than the average - I can't prove this. It's my experience it is more difficult to see pedestrians and cyclists if they are wearing dark clothing and/or are unlit. I cannot statistically prove it but it's something I encounter on a daily basis. I frequently find myself cursing people who run across the road at dusk, cyclists or POBs without lights and dressed in dark clothing.

I do think many cyclists don't help themselves through their very poor use of lights, the errors are almost to numerous to list. Too many, too few, underpowered, overpowered, flashing, still, wrong colour, badly positioned etc. For me the best way to be more visible is a single quality light, front and rear, flashing in daylight and solid in low light. Possibly rear flashing is better, my personal jury is out on that one. Again I can't prove it but it is what I observe.

In truly low sun conditions nothing helps - the last two or three weeks when I've been riding seem to have been especially difficult. In winter leaving our village one is driving uphill directly towards the sun. There is a stretch of perhaps 2-300 yards during which if one has a dirty or misted up windscreen it is impossible to see anything. As a local driver I know I have to fully demist my windscreen before setting off in the morning but non locals?????