irc

Orange not always a good choice.




In fact I was wearing the same top here, Route 50, NV, when I had to ride off the road to avoid being hit by an RV that decided to drive through me when oncoming cars stopped him pulling out. It happened on the upslope in the distance.

I guess no matter what you wear you need to assume drivers won't see you.

Tourist in MSN

Several years ago I put red reflective tape on the left side crank arms on several bikes, then ran out of tape. I recently bought more tape for the right side. Red is what I had so that is what was used.

tcs

I read on the internet that some function of reflectivity+acuity resulted in amber reflectors appearing '3X brighter' than red reflectors.

"If you see it on the internet, it must be true."

Notwithstanding, both here in Parts Unknown and in the International Convention of Road Traffic (1968), bikes are required to show a red reflector to the rear when operated at night.

CarlosCrosby

Your experience highlights a sobering reality – no matter what color gear we wear, we can't always rely on drivers to see us. I've had my fair share of close calls, too, which is why I've become a big advocate for safety gear. Recently, I discovered safety jackets, and let me tell you, they've been a game-changer for me. The added visibility they provide gives me a bit more peace of mind when I'm out on the road.

WaveyGravey

Things are much worse today. In addition to the texting distraction, now cars come with information displays.

tcs

Thread returns once more. Shrug. It's still a legitimate topic.

Panasonic showed an "augmented heads-up display".



Of course, if the driver is tapping through multiple screens on their tactile-less touch-screen above the center console, the information on the heads-up display will go for naught.

tcs

Interesting. 'Coral' as a high viz color; white as a low viz color. Hmph.

I like the 'pulse' flashing pattern based on pretty much gut feel, but...are there any studies of various light flash patterns (including steady) effectiveness?

79pmooney

That evidence will stay inconclusive. Non-hits because the driver +made a simple course change never get recorded.

If I ever wind up in court, say suing for damages and lost of good life after a preoccupied driver hit, I might wear the jersey I was wearing that day (or a clean one of the same pattern) under say a dress sweater. After the defense claims they didn't see me, I'd pull the sweater off. If the judge objects to this improper court room decorum, I'd approach him and say loud enough for the jury to hear that the defense had pointed out that I was hard to see in broad daylight so I figured that wouldn't be an issue here.

I was hit by a car running a red while I was wearing a very bright solid colored jersey. Considered wearing its sister to court and bringing my take-home bag from the hospital stay with the ripped and bloodied one. Had the defense object to the jersey as not what I was wearing that day, I'd have puled out the real one - which I had not seen since they put me under at the trauma unit. Not what the defense would ever want the jury to see! No, I wouldn't really do this but it's a fun thought. (Insurance settled for a lot so I never got to test the jersey evidence.)

Jacket vs vest vs harness? Square footage of bright material counts for a lot. Then there is practicality. Breath-ability, sweat. I try to have all my outer visible layers very bright. (Don't always. The cycling industry seems obsessed with this idea that black is fast so vests and pullovers should be black. Likewise armwarmers; the most visible parts of properly signaled turns.) Cycling shorts and tights. I don't mind the shorts and tights so much because the reality is they do not show the black of chain grease, road dirt and leather dressing for seats.

I use: Yellow Showers Pass jackets (and bugged them for years when they drifted away to dark colors), a standard bike orange mesh vest with yellow reflective stripes and flashers on the waist belt located just forward of my hips - aimed at left turning oncoming traffic and cars pulling out of right hand streets and a white helmet. Yellow or white fenders on 4 of my 5 fendered bikes. (The bike of my avatar photo has silver fenders. Looks really good on it and I am reluctant to change, but like my silver Tercel of years ago, I am very aware the whole bike is invisible in the low grey skies and low sun of NW winters. That I have to dress even brighter. Bright jerseys, as close to single color and no pattern as I can get. (And I try to observe cyclists when I drive. What jerseys, etc. stand out to my eyes? Two that very often don't - bright red and even very bright patterns of camouflage-like shapes.)

For me, a very real part of what I will wear is that it needs to be comfortable, manage heat and sweat well and be easy to change and vary as the days warm up or later cool down. As I don't (currently) tour, this means my clothing needs to be jersey pocket compatible or I have to mount a bag or strap to carry it. Touring would change the details of what I bring and wear but not the substance.

Showers Pass - a local outfit. Good stuff made here by real cyclists. I've heard arguments on this forum that it isn't the best for day after day of wet where dying never happens. So I am not promoting it for touring. And I have no affiliation with SP except as a rather happy customer (who really got on the nerves of the woman who greets customers as she did so many repairs and waterproofings of my very tired favorite jacket. I'd browse the current selection while she repaired it, then thank her but tell her I wasn't buying a new jacket because I did not want to become road kill. (The joke - I've never seen a dead yellow squirrel.) Their yellow is back - and on really nice jackets! And she no longer dreads seeing me.

Edit: I think I answered and ancient post but so be it.

rm -rf

I don't tour, but do ride on country roads a lot, with a small cycling group. At times, the stronger riders can be way up the road, out of sight around bends. Even on a sunny day, as I round a bend onto a straight section, their bright, sharp rear light flashes instantly catch my eye. Even a quarter mile ahead, where they are too far ahead to identify as cyclists or to see their hiviz jackets.

I see the lights at noon on a sunny day, and they really stand out in mixed sun and tree shade roads.

Many of the riders use a Cygolite 150 or 200 lumen tail light. These can be set to a single flash mode -- bright, brief flashes -- that have long runtimes at a typical 2-flashes-per-second rate.
One rider has the Cygolite Hypershot 350 lumen, with it's two LEDs. That light is too bright if it's aimed upward slightly, and I'm 15 feet back in it's brightest cone of light, even with dark sunglasses. Better to keep it pointed exactly horizontal.

gauvins

(sorry to read this)
and concerned to read that.

Looks as if being highly visible affords little to no protection against a distracted/DUI/sleepy/aggressive driver. And that regular/sane/cooperative drivers won't be fooled by your camo jacket...

Dictatokerr

If you're looking to amp up your visibility, you might want to consider checking out some options at https://www.fullsource.com/safety-jackets/. They've got a range of safety jackets that could help make you more visible to other drivers.

79pmooney

My visibility wasn't a factor one way or the other in that crash happening. I was entering an intersection from a small hill and screened partially by a bridge guardrail. The driver was completely unaware she was driving through a red light in the middle of a long sequence. (She told police I came out of nowhere. Yeah, just like everyone else going east through that intersection.) Now, she did see me as she entered the intersection (at 30 mph). And nearly slowed enough to allow me to cross in front of her. Caught the last inch or my rear wheels. Camo and it probably would have been a T-bone. As it was, all my injuries were from hitting the road, not the car.

10 Wheels

42 Ride 2009. NY to LA we were given Yellow Vest to Wear.
I wore mine.

jkinner

I wear high vis jacket or vest if weather justifies it (from see me wear... https://seemewear.com/); my shirts are orange, my bike is yellow, my panniers are red and have reflectors, I have a flashing light in front and one in the rear, plus a safety triangle. My life is worth making myself as visible as possible. Downside - everyone looks at me when I walk into a store or restaurant.

GadgetGirlIL

I always wear a orange safety vest (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KL959GY/) and either a yellow jersey or jacket. I also have flashing lights on the front and rear. I don't find it a downside when people make comments when I stop at a gas station for a snack. It means that they have actually noticed me. I always tell my husband that if something tragic happens to sue the heck out of the driver as there is no way a non-impaired driver cannot notice me.

I also have a rear-view mirror on my glasses and try to plan any rides that will take me on roads with higher traffic volumes for the quieter times of the day. I know I can't eliminate all risk, but I do as much as is reasonably possible.