Hi-Visibility Fans! Do you rock it or do you not? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Hi-Visibility Fans! Do you rock it or do you not?

While it clearly is more visible, I didn't think Hi-Viz was too important. I have lights/reflectors/3M patches, right? Took a drive in my brother's new car. Holy blindspots, Batman! That would explain some of the increasingly careless driving I've witnessed recently. If a car needs cameras/screen to help you turn without hitting someone, we've got a problem.

I know it's only adding to the garish visual hellscape the public sphere has become, but I'll be purchasing some sort of glowing gear soon. I commute and ride a fat scooter, so coolness just isn't a factor.
 
Hi viz Mil-Spec vest.
Hi viz Olympia AST jacket.
I love the high viz gear.
 
I wear a JR Alter Ego jacket, in Hi-vis yellow. I was the first person up around here to have one. I did get noticed. On the plus side, I've never been pulled over for speeding. I am wearing Hi-vis, so therefore, I must be safety conscious. And being safety conscious, I couldn't possible be doing the speed the radar says I am. lol
 
I wear a construction vest at night. It's simple, cheap and stores easily in a tank bag.
 
Early morning and at night wearing a reflective vest seems to make a positive difference with drivers, who seem to give me more room. Otherwise, dressing like a construction cone is not any guarantee of being seen. Let's face it, some drivers have broadsided transit buses, large trucks and trains. Inattentive driving will not be fixed by hi-vis. What you wear may make no difference to a driver that will look right at you but simply sees right through you.

Read a bit about inattentive blindness. We often do actions on autopilot, and driving is no different. If the a driver's eyes and therefore brain does not register anything substantially different from past experience, autopilot continues. By being smaller a bike is not a threat to the car driver and therefore does not overcome the attention threshold. The driver's brain filters out the image of a bike, pedestrian, car or other object, even if the bike is right in front of them, and walla, they crash into something they really should see. Maybe they really did not see the object? The foibles of human physiology are complex and deeply ingrained, and will not be completely solved with hi-vis.

Wear something that has crash protection, shields you from the weather and is comfortable. As for colour, wear what you like, which for me is leather or mesh (summer).
 
While wearing a high-vis jacket, I had the infamous on coming left turner in front of me. I got lucky and survived the ensuing crash. You know the first thing the guy says?
"I didn't see you". This was in fair weather mid day. Go figure. My opinion is high vis gear will get the attention of attentive drivers, nothing is going to work for those that are oblivious to their surroundings. Good luck out there.
 
If you are riding in a group and end up in a ditch. Somebody will see you, hopefully.
However, if you are on your own(Motorbike, Mtb, hiking, camping, etc) Something similar to a Fox whistle might help you. Goes further than shouting.
3 blast is the International signal for help.
 
I use my vest for parking the bike at night if I have to leave it on a road. I hang the vest off the mirrors in hopes that no one runs into it
 
TorontoBoy said:
Early morning and at night wearing a reflective vest seems to make a positive difference with drivers, who seem to give me more room. Otherwise, dressing like a construction cone is not any guarantee of being seen. Let's face it, some drivers have broadsided transit buses, large trucks and trains. Inattentive driving will not be fixed by hi-vis. What you wear may make no difference to a driver that will look right at you but simply sees right through you.

Read a bit about inattentive blindness. We often do actions on autopilot, and driving is no different. If the a driver's eyes and therefore brain does not register anything substantially different from past experience, autopilot continues. By being smaller a bike is not a threat to the car driver and therefore does not overcome the attention threshold. The driver's brain filters out the image of a bike, pedestrian, car or other object, even if the bike is right in front of them, and walla, they crash into something they really should see. Maybe they really did not see the object? The foibles of human physiology are complex and deeply ingrained, and will not be completely solved with hi-vis.

Wear something that has crash protection, shields you from the weather and is comfortable. As for colour, wear what you like, which for me is leather or mesh (summer).
Click to expand...

You are right that it's complex, but if your conclusion is that you should concentrate on damage limitation instead of crash prevention then I disagree. In the spectrum of drivers there are a lot of people between responsible and aware on one end and terminally clueless on the other. A little extra prompting may be all they need to notice you. Hi-vis should be an element of that. I wore a lime green coat with reflective piping over my armoured leather jacket today, and I have a white helmet. However, as this article points out, what is hi-vis will vary according to the conditions. My white helmet may not be as noticeable in bright sun and some days black leather may stand out more. But I can easily remove my hi-vis gear (and it's very cheap) so I do at least carry it with me. No idea why black still dominates--I'd rather be seen as a clown than not seen at all.
 
Hi Viz Icon Patrol jacket is what I wear. Gotta buy a jacket right? Might as well get one that could help you be seen.
 
Hi viz t shirt over whatever jacket I am wearing, gives you the high viz thing and keeps bugs/grime off your gear.

Class3SafetyTShirt-2.jpg
 
I have a high viz jacket and helmet may look a bit funny but if it helps at all keeping me alive then I don,t care what people think
 
Great in theory but the import cagers don't know that they are supposed to be in the right lane except when passing. Do u think they know what 3 whistle sig means. Lol
 
cycling said:
If you are riding in a group and end up in a ditch. Somebody will see you, hopefully.
However, if you are on your own(Motorbike, Mtb, hiking, camping, etc) Something similar to a Fox whistle might help you. Goes further than shouting.
3 blast is the International signal for help.
Click to expand...


Hope to never be in that situation, but will be picking one up. Thanks for the tip.
 
basmn said:
Great in theory but the import cagers don't know that they are supposed to be in the right lane except when passing...
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I resent that, I'm what you would call an 'import cager', moved to this beautiful country at the tender age of 28.
Growing up in Belgium and learning to drive there...rest assured I know to stick to the right lane unless I'm passing somebody.
 
I82l8 said:
Sorry, but I resent that, I'm what you would call an 'import cager', moved to this beautiful country at the tender age of 28.
Growing up in Belgium and learning to drive there...rest assured I know to stick to the right lane unless I'm passing somebody.
Click to expand...


I understood "import cager" to mean the guys in civics lighting up the left lanes in their fast cars. Not a reference to driver. Just the way I read it.
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