Hi Visibility.

I wear hi viz/reflective if I'm going to be riding when it's dark but as for the day time I just don't know what to do for the best.
Yesterday I saw a car suddenly change lanes into a lane already occupied (i.e. beside him) by a very loud Harley Fat Boy. The Harley rider had next to no time to react but swerved out of the way into the next lane inside him. If that lane had a car/lorry in it he would be dead.
I used to think noise was the key to having cars around you know you were there. I now know different.
Essentially, you have to analyse whether any vehicle near you could 'get' you and if so move to make it less likely, oh, and be noisy/bright as well but not instead of.

 

Bloke in Plymouth I know got shunted from behind whilst stationary at a T-Junction last year... Broad daylight... He works for the RAC and was wearing the full kit - bright dayglo orange jacket and trousers with refelective stripes - and it made no difference what-so-ever ! Another mate got punted off a KTM990 at a roundabout by a woman who didn't bother looking before she changed lanes. It was the local KTM dealer's demonstrator and was BRIGHT orange... If drivers can't see something that big and that bright a dayglo waistcoat is going to make no difference at all... Third case to illustrate my point - a German mate of mine was going over the Tamar bridge when an octagenarian car driver coming the other way pulled into the lane of oncoming traffic at hit him head-on - Bright silver BMW R1150, with the (100W) headlight on - no dayglo bib on earth is going to stop idiots driving like that... In my opinion anyone who says "sorry mate I didn't see you" is admitting that they weren't looking and should immediately be charged with "without due care and attention" ! BUT, as has already been said, the danger here is that it becomes accepted by the courts - then when you get knocked off by a senile myopic moron and you weren't wearing a crap yellow bib they pull the "contributary negligence" crap and say it's your fault !

 

Are you arguing for or against hi-vis ?

I believe the Law's position is that 'a biker is there to be seen'.

Whether hi-vis is worn or not should never be allowed to become a contributory factor.

 

When I was instructing for the BMF the one message that we tried to get across to everyone was "Treat every other road user as someone who is trying to kill you. Some of them are!" It might sound paranoid, but the real key to survival is "are you paranoid enough?"

 

Pedestrians often wander across the road after dark in the rain wearing dark clothing from head to toe, and usually chatting on the phone. It can be really difficult to spot them, even if you're concentrating hard. They don't need to wear Saturn Yellow reflectives - a pale coat or a pale hat would be a big improvement.

 

If the court accepts 'I didn't see him' as an excuse for hitting a biker does it work the same for cars? 'Oh I didn't see that car because it was black... maybe if it had some hi vis strips it would be easier to notice.' Do you think I could use that in a court? :wink: (luckily I don't have a need to try it but just wondering....)

 

Those 3 lanes on the Tamar bridge and in the tunnel, with the centre lane controlled (?) by overhead lights is potentially lethal. I never use the centre lane even when the lights say I can. Life's too short to risk someone getting it wrong and have them assuming there's no one coming the other way.

 

Which is exactly why the bureauocrats and legislators should be told to go and take a hike.

 

I am for hi viz.....I can't get to work without it (live taxiway), I also do 25,000 miles a year on my Multi in the dark and the rain and only once did some one nearly get me in 90,000 miles and because of the mileage thats why I am probably more likely to get caught out than most of you on the bike according to the IAM guys.

I expect car drivers not to see me or be able to calculate the speed I am approaching them at.

Insurance companies want any excuse to not pay out so with hi viz and headlight I am making every effort.

I know from personal experience that Hi Viz on a push bike makes a world of difference, so my 3 kids wear hi viz on their motorbike and scooters then they may get to keep riding till they are as old as me.
One little girl localy won't be :frown:

 

Confidence. That is the only thing that'll save you. Hi-viz doesn't work cos no-one is looking for you, headlights the same. Loud exhausts? Purlease... And defensive riding will leave you as angry and frustrated as every other road user.

Learn to ride confidently, learn to anticipate scenarios, hold your head up and give it the berries. That's the best way to survive.

 

I wear hi-vis black, if the blind motorist can't see/hear a bright red ducati with loud pipes then a reflective vest isn't going to help...

 

Excellent assumption to make.

However they still have a legal duty to see you, because you are there to be seen, if they don't see you they are still accountable.

 

If we accept not wearing hi-vis as a contributory factor in an accident we are only a short step away from the Arabic logic which states that a European is always responsible for an accident in an Arab country because if they were not in the country then the accident wouldn't have happened.

 

Compulsary headlights would be better. While it would have made no difference at all to me (the guy just wasn't looking at the space I occupied) I'm still going to buy much brighter leathers and helmet at the NEC, because no one ever pulled out in front of you because you were too bright.

 

I bought a hi-viz yellow jacket simply because it was very cheap (2nd hand) and also very warm but I have noticed that you seem to be stared at by more motorists than normal which can only be a good thing. I must confess to feeling a bit safer when wearing it.

 

Can't open that for some reason, but the adoption of triple headlamps was made law in Sweden (I think) some years back for any bikes fitted with twin headlights. The idea being that, in a country with all vehicles forced to use daytime running lights, a triangular headlamp arrangement would instantly mark it out as a motorcycle. The bikes of the time - FZRs, GSXRs et al hastily sprouted an extra running light above and between the main headlights. Even the 999 with it's stacked headlights had to have an extra running light hastily tacked to the screen because it was expected the law would roll out across Europe. It didn't happen though.