Yellow jackets and their worth!

Bearcat

Hi folks, just tipping my toes in here from the 4 wheel fraternity. I know you guys are in arms re euro laws, yellow jackets, nanny state etc.....yeap its gone insane.

All I want to say is I was at a tee junction today turning right with the sun directly in my eyes.....lad on a big silver bmw tourer just melted into the back round of the sun piercing my eyes.......he was wearing a big ugly bright yellow jacket which made him stand out with the reflectors from the sun which certainly stopped me from turning into his path.....He was going dead slow anyway (think he spotted I was fidgeting) but fugh I nearly shat myself at the thought what could have been....maybe I wouldnt have pulled out, then again.

All I want to say is as much as those yellow jackets are utterly horrible, you stick out like a sore thumb and for fugh wits like me it saved the day. Havent had an accident in 33 yrs of driving and I came close today.


Call me what you want but I just thought Id relay what nearly happened.....that low winter sun is plain lethal.

thanks

Please Kill Me

Good on ya, and thanks for sharing that with us. And yeah, that damn winter sun is a feckin' nightmare.

good logs...

did he have his headlight on ?

KamiKazi

If you don't see a biker you aren't looking properly! Don't pass your poor observation onto bikers by making us all wear high viz!!

Bearcat

The sun was so strong at the angle it was at, I actually don't recall a headlight on. I was at a 45degree angle to him if that muddies the waters.......

hobochris

Bearcat wrote: »

The sun was so strong at the angle it was at, I actually don't recall a headlight on. I was at a 45degree angle to him if that muddies the waters.......

If they are so great why not get your car painted luminous yellow?

good logs...

Bearcat wrote: »

The sun was so strong at the angle it was at, I actually don't recall a headlight on. I was at a 45degree angle to him if that muddies the waters.......

headlight on is 100 times better then a any hi vis.

Dorsanty

A close call possibly, and the lesson to be learned is that if anyone is entering a junction then they should only do so when they *know* it is clear and safe to do so.

Winter sun is a problem. This time of year has me using 2 visors a day, the dark for the morning and the clear for the evening trip home. Same if I'm driving the car, I'll take a pair of shades along.

Road users have a responsibility to each other and people should equip themselves to do the best they can to not be endangering anyone. Don't push all the responsibility onto one group of drivers! IMO if people are driving while they can't see properly then they are a danger to others and they need to wake up to that and drive accordingly or stop.

EvilMonkey

It wasn't the yellow jacket though it was the highly reflective strips that are already incorporated in allot of bike jackets already.

Most bikers aren't against wearing hi vis they are against making it mandatory.

Bearcat

Lads I didn't want to cause hassle, I just wanted to relay what happened from where I was.....I have a great respect for bikers.....think I'm one of the few drivers that pulls in on motorways when a biker comes up behind......That's for another thread though and inconsiderate road use..... Back in my box....thanks

arybvtcw0eolkf

Bearcat wrote: »

Lads I didn't want to cause hassle, I just wanted to relay what happened from where I was.....I have a great respect for bikers.....think I'm one of the few drivers that pulls in on motorways when a biker comes up behind......That's for another thread though and inconsiderate road use..... Back in my box....thanks

I wouldn't worry about 'em tbh.

Good thread.

RosieJoe

Good on ye Bearcat, at least you took the extra second to make sure if was safe

Interceptor

Bearcat wrote: »

I have a great respect for bikers

(Yeah - you haven't met me though, I'm a scumbag.)

I wear hi vis at all times and perhaps it helps if the car driver is actually awake/not using their phone/not drunk or stoned. I am routinely aware of other drivers around me who just don't see me and if I was riding a jewel encrusted elephant while wearing a dayglo pink tutu they still wouldn't see me. I don't believe that hi-vis is the panacea to prevent bike accidents whereas training, observation and the firm conviction that every other road user is out to kill me are a good start.

What I really object to is being told that hi viz is mandatory and that in the event of an accident where I mightn't have been wearing hi-vis that I might be found at fault. There are all sorts of statistics around certain car colours being safer - how would you feel if you had to pick from a palette of three colours or have an insurance loading for driving a dark colour?

Thanks for pulling in on motorways...

'cptr

carsQhere

On the low sun thing I was told back in the 80's when I was learning to drive "if your shadow is pointing right at them, they can't see you." It's always served me well on the bike that.

Bearcat

the worst re the low sun issue is driving against the sun after it rains on a shiny road.....you can see fugh all. Just pass newlands cross going southbound as the road dips pass the old green isle, numerous accidents have happened here re above.....a lethal spot.....

Reg'stoy

I used to put all my gear on including the hi-vis jacket if I was just going 5 mins down the road. As an ex fulltime now part time rider I'm personally more aware of bikes and thanks to riding other road dangers. So your preaching to the converted about how drivers should be more aware of ye; but sadly fact of life and sometimes death is they are not.

To be honest I think I'd go the extra to protect myself!! and if that means wearing a hi-vis well then why not. The headlight was always on (superglued on for first bike) anyway but the majority of other road users just aren't that aware of bikes, 5+ years of a twice daily M50 commute made me scarily aware of that fact.

Defensive riding, "ride as if every other f**ker on the road is trying to kill you" was what my instructor first said to me. Unfortunatly he was/is right. I would love to see it law that all cars have to have lights on all the time and that as part of the test drivers are tested on getting a cloth some water and seen to clean their headlights and rear lights more than once a decade. But untill it's law it won't happen, hell people complain because their car switches all lights on automatically.

In much the same way that I cringe when I see someone in jeans and runners on a bike, I can't help but wonder why not spend the couple of euro on a hi-vis. They're easy to take off and using the arguement that drivers should be more aware of bikes while in the same breath not helping them to do this by refusing to wear one, well to me seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

At the end of the day it is a personal choice, the mandatory arguement is for another thread. I made the choice to wear it and to be honest my instructor and most other riders I talked to or met agreed.