Tips to Make Yourself Visible

[Johnno260]

Why? What about reflective ankle straps?

That's certainly a possibility, I do use bright coloured overshoes in the winter with reflective piping though already, but more lights is certainly possible.

I just think in some instances people are rushing and not looking, I have been on well lit roads in my wife's car and people exit their drive and literally never once look right, they just pull out their drive and play Russian roulette that nothing is on the road.

I have seen some truly horrific driving the past few weeks and as a motorist and cyclist it's worrying, worst was someone following another car into a right hand turn, the car behind overtook and cut the corner badly, to me driving standards seem at an all time low, couple this with very busy roads it's not great.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

[QUOTE 5057321, member: 9609"]

And the situation is not helped by the courts who too often side with the motorist, take this case, driver blinded by low sun runs over lollypop man helping pregnant woman crossing the road.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/cri...-killed-82-year-old-lollipop-man-8933201.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-27982163[/QUOTE]

It's worth highlighting these references to the ineffectiveness of hi-vis in that case:

"Mr Lawson (prosecuting) said an accident investigator, who visited the crash scene, experienced how the bright sun had the effect of "blending in" with the colour of a colleague's high visibility jacket similar to that worn by Mr Elsmore at the time of the accident."

"A jury was told the combination of the glare from the sun and the bright yellow, orange and silver uniform may have made lollipop man Ray Elsmore difficult to see.
The evidence was read out at Southampton Crown Court from a statement by Dr Martin Langham, who specialises in the effect of glare on drivers."

 

[mjr]

Why? What about reflective ankle straps?

The sharp-eyed may have noticed a reflective yellow ankle clip visible on my avatar. I do have black, white and blue ones, too, but the yellow get used more because they outnumber the other colours two-to-one (some were gifts, as were the white ones) and they're usually easier to spot where I've hung them up among black coats - viewed from the back, they're less visible than the pedal reflectors IMO. The other thing about my avatar you might like to consider is how visible a jacket that yellow wouldn't be against the cream wall behind me in the picture... or worse, a yellow jacket with greyish-white reflective bands.

 

[mjr]

"[...] The evidence was read out at Southampton Crown Court from a statement by Dr Martin Langham, who specialises in the effect of glare on drivers."

Previously covered at https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4541030 if anyone would like it.

I think Dr Martin Langham has appeared in other cases where drivers were let off, but I didn't find them now.

 

[derrick]

You say that, yet...

https://www.dorset.police.uk/news-i...oach-driver-banned-from-the-road-after-crash/

View attachment 384923

That's it we are f****d.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Previously covered at https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4541030 if anyone would like it.

I think Dr Martin Langham has appeared in other cases where drivers were let off, but I didn't find them now.

Thanks.

I've been looking for, and failing to find, an old discussion on hi-vis where research suggested that to accommodate the variety of backgrounds and lighting situations encountered in a typical commute that we'd need to carry about a dozen (?) or so different coloured jackets. Do you remember it?

 

[Johnno260]

Someone invent a chameleon jacket please!!

 

[theclaud]

Thanks.

I've been looking for, and failing to find, an old discussion on hi-vis where research suggested that to accommodate the variety of backgrounds and lighting situations encountered in a typical commute that we'd need to carry about a dozen (?) or so different coloured jackets. Do you remember it?

Wasn't this one, was it?

 

[mjr]

I've been looking for, and failing to find, an old discussion on hi-vis where research suggested that to accommodate the variety of backgrounds and lighting situations encountered in a typical commute that we'd need to carry about a dozen (?) or so different coloured jackets. Do you remember it?

https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4137568 by @User cites the notorious study concluding that motorcyclists should wear "an appropriate rider's outfit that distinguishes him/her from the background scenery [...] by taking into account the driving route" rather than noting that the result means picking clothes to "be seen" in all conditions is probably an impossible task.

 

[jefmcg]

Since colour would appear to make little, or no, difference to an object's visibility, why does [..] the armed forces [..] put so much effort into camouflage?

I was told, in a formal briefing by an Army Captain or Major, that the reason they put soldiers in camo is to make them feel safer. He asserted that if a particular camouflage worked at say 500m, it would not work at 1000m etc. So basically, it doesn't work. He further said as proof that the best colour to hide a tank in the desert is pink, but they don't paint them pink for ... obvious reasons**. At that point a wag in audience chimed in "the pink panzer"

**obvious reason being it would be totally gay. He also said during the same briefing that they unfortunately couldn't fire civilians for being homosexual. It was a different time.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

[QUOTE 5057321, member: 9609"]I very much agree with this - it should be 100% the drivers responsibility not to crash into other road users, but in the bizarre world of driving many think it is 90%+ the responsibility of the more vulnerable road user to take care of themselves. I hate it but feel the need to comply.

And the situation is not helped by the courts who too often side with the motorist, take this case, driver blinded by low sun runs over lollypop man helping pregnant woman crossing the road.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/cri...-killed-82-year-old-lollipop-man-8933201.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-27982163[/QUOTE]
And I, for my meagre, part REFUSE to collude with that thinking by dressing the part of a court jester.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

A left-field colour scheme and way-out appearance creates a personality that may or may not bleed into the image of the person riding it. That purple hardtail with green tyres says far more about the rider than your run of the mill black framed hybrid, and so the association with a fellow human being is reinforced.

My purple ss has had green tyres. When it did I was told I was a cant, or somesuch, for riding such a bike by the passenger in a car, who then threw an empty plastic coke bottle at me. But I think the bottle was for not wearing a pelmet.

 

[BoldonLad]

Someone invent a chameleon jacket please!!

Doesn't the Chameleon change colour in order to be less visible?

or

do they simply own lots of handbags?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

O rly?

View attachment 384936 View attachment 384937

Yes, very good.

 

[mjr]

But I think the bottle was for not wearing a pelmet.

The like is for the inverted h