Hi Visibility.

There will always be the people who see you, but just dont care knowing full well that they'll be fine and pull out anyway

 

MAG found some interesting stuff a while ago - the basics of the study that they had showed that in general car drivers associate hi-viz with road workers and recovery vehicle operators, so they expect anyone wearing it to be stationary... So even if they see you ( when they can be bothered to actually look ) they assume that you are not moving... In some cases wearing hi-viz actually makes the situation worse...

 

The "compulsary headlight" argument is another interesting subject... As has been found with Daytime Running Lights it makes the vehicle stand out - but only if all the other vehicles around it don't have lights on. Once every vehicle had DRL's or headlights on it just becomes a jumble of lights and it is impossible to pick out one vehicle amongst all the others. Also - if motorcycles are only allowed on the road with their headlights on, where does that leave older bikes that were never designed to have the lights on all the time? Do we say that older bikes should be banned from the road, or only allowed out on special occasions (as I believe the French government is currently trying to do)?

 

many older bikes have a special feature fitted to the grips that can overcome this issue, it is called a "Switch" and can easily be used to "switch" the lights on during the hours of daylight.

Hope this helps.

 

Ha-Ha. Yes, the reference was to bikes with 6 volt Lucas/Miller dynamos which are not up to continuous use, or even work at all half the time. Could be a reference to Ducati singles with 6v systems and alternators nearly as bad.

 

Pete, I never know if your "ha-ha's" are ironic, or genuine.

I suspect sometimes the one, sometimes the other. No doubt this ambivalence that the dreaded smiley is meant to clear up.

 

Ha-Ha means I am acknowledging the previous post was funny, but I'm afraid my post will be straight and not funny at all.

 

@ Pete1950 - yes, that's exactly what I was meaning. @ Shadow - strange as it may seem, some people ride bikes that were made before 1980 and as Pete quite rightly points out they have electrical systems that were not designed to, and cannot, support full time use of the lights. A "switch" is no use at all if the alternator or dynamo cannot cope with the electrical load. As a memeber of a Classic Bike Club I know a lot of people who do not ride with their lights on for this very reason. Many of them use their bikes on a regular or semi-regular basis - compulsary daytime headlight use would effectively legilate them off the road...

 

I haven't read the thread so my views are my immediate thoughts...........

There are so many people wearing them now; Plod, Builders; Roadsweepers; Delivery Drivers; Horse Riders etc; the HI-Viz vests are becoming the norm to the point where nobody will take any notice of them.

AL

 

@ Arquebus - exactly the point I was making earlier. "Plod, Builders; Roadsweepers; Delivery Drivers; Horse Riders etc;" are mostly stationary or slow moving, which is what car drivers subconciously think when they see hi-viz on a motorcyclist : making the situation worse, not better...

 

its the same in a car I find

approaching a roundabout - you can practically see the whites of their eyes and they STILL dont see you and pull out -

when I had my bike SMIDSY I was maybe 20 feet from the offending car pulling out - I knew he had looked straight through me _ not enough time to stop so I rammed into his door at a slow speed

would it have been different if I had hi - vis - in hindsight I very much doubt it , he was looking at the road 40 feet behind me

 

People keep looking at me in the car, square in the eyes, and then pull out anyway, with a sort of "so, what are you going to do about it?" look on their face. Especially if their are lorries or large van drivers. But you get all sorts.

The current trend is, instead of MSM, "Manoeuvre, Signal - if I'm feeling generous".

 

You mean BMW & Audi drivers

 

As an alternative to a builders hi vis, how about a bright yellow compression top over leathers for cooler weather rides? I reckon a larger size would work, and being a stretchy tight fit its not going to billow about annoyingly. Ebay is choc full of them. Could be a bitch to get back off without assistance though...

 

there is ever increasing amounts of arrogance about driving on the roads these days- exactly as you describe,. Its a mindset of the driver of "Its wrong, i am being pushy, awkward and getting in your way/causing you to swerve/me first - so what?!"

two exceptions ive experienced,riding to and from germany last june on a four day blast. I was impressed by how efficient and polite both slower and faster vehicles were on two lane mways/fast roads. each accommodated the other politely and efficiently, with courtesy. A serious lesson for Uk motorway drivers.

and secondly, last sept/oct , drove round new zealand for 5 weeks, top to bottom, and never have i enjoyed driving so much. Polite, unpressured and downright pleasant, even in the snow over the top of the mountains into Queenstown. Also, even in 30mph zones, one could travel at 29mph comfortably and safely , without some arrrssse, right up ones jacksy. very enjoyable. even met an St4 rider south of Punakaiki.

as regards high vis, i usually wear it, and still assume that others wont have seen me. wearing it or not may make a difference. but i dont rely on it. My 'other' bike is blue, and in combo with hi vis, some drivers reactions are amusing....

TT

 

For my daily commute (mostly dual carriageway, quite a bit of filtering at 20mph between near stationary lanes of traffic) I wear my mostly black Rukka textile kit and a hi vis vest (though both the hi vis yellow on the jacket sleeves and sides and the hi vis vest look quite grubby with road grime that won't come out in the wash). Not that fussed about looking cool when commuting, and expect lots of the drivers to be half asleep, on the phone, thinking about work etc. If I have worn hi-vis it gives the numpties even fewer excuses if/when some knob in an Audi changes lanes without looking and side swipes me.

For fun rides at the weekend and touring I don't bother - bright red, white and black leather jacket and lid, bright red bike (lights hardwired on).

I doubt wearing hi vis makes much difference to the chances of being seen - I have read enough accounts of the ludicrously dayglo-clad still being the victim of smidsys. I'm very much opposed to compulsory hi vis, and worry about any trend towards equating the absence of hi-vis clothing with contributory negligence.

 

Part of the problem with car drivers' attitudes these days is that cars are far too safe - for their occupants... People get the subliminal messages from all the advertising and road safety people - "get a car with ABS, air-bags, safety cell, crumple zones, etc, etc, that way no-one and nothing can hurt you" as long as they feel safe inside their metal cocoon they really don't care about anyone else...