Hi vis discussion thread (read post #1)

Enjoy your luminous car

As has been pointed out , the "hi viz" bit doesn't work at night. The retro reflective bit is what works at night in other vehicles headlights*. An old fashioned browne belt is as, or perhaps even more, effective as all the builders vests and expensive jackets.

My main "night" time cycling is commuting, and I do use Polaris RBS and ProViz 360 jackets. Not because I really think they're more effective than my lights - it's just I don't want a some motorist getting even partly off the hook should they hit me by our fecked up judiciary!

*If they're fully functioning and/or not just driving around on DLR's in dusk/ dark!

I just have my dipped lights on - done that for the last 25 years odd - all cars now have drls now anyway -

Saw one of the funniest things ever this morning. I shouldnt laugh but it did. Traffic was light enough and it was dark and raining.

Cyclist passed me out (I didnt even see him til he was right beside me even though i had just checked behind me a couple of seconds before) and turned right. Next thing you hear this shout and a bang.

I went over to see if he was ok. Himself and another cyclist crashed head on. Both bikes mangled. One of them was bleeding a bit but they were both ok. Theres bikes will never ride again though.

What I did observe was, they both had lights on their bikes, now smashed, but one of them was still on. But against the glare of the traffic you couldnt see these guys even when you were right beside them.

Motorbike cop arrived then and the first thing he said was, "You never heard of a hi vis vest lads, no?".

Im 100% sure that he was right and hi vis vests would have prevented that accident.

As said many times on this thread, fluorescent material doesn't work in the dark. So science says no, it wouldn't have prevented it.

What ? Like the large reflective lights and areas of glass on most vehicles - yeah pretty much -

Even so ,It doesn't help though when grey Is the most common colour and it's a grey day -

Sometimes things just need to be dumbed down for people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp91kifQDhc

I think that's generous towards a known shitstirrer.

What part of a nasty accident is 'funny'?

But , but , but - if you close your eyes the guy with the hi-viz is no more visable than the guy without -

Reflective lights are only at the rear - what about the other three sides? How could you possibly be expected to see a black or navy or burgandy car when you're approaching from the front or side? What's the big resistance to making cars visible? When are drivers going to start taking responsibility for their own safety? Are they afraid that they won't look cool or something?

This thread could easily be called the Darwin awards thread at this rate.

If you see someone with good lights (and you will if you're looking in their direction at all), and you decide that they have to dress up like a canary or a binman on top of that, you're either a total neurotic, or you just want to punish people for being different.

More the Evidence/ Science thread, given the numbers that pop in to claim fluorescent material works in the dark and dispute the studies that show that wearing it does not vulnerable roads users safer.

Randy Swart agrees with you.

http://www.helmets.org/lights.htm

Summary: One cyclist's approach to being seen at night.

--I am now using neon orange bikes, and may go to neon lime green.

--For headlights I use a car light.

--For tail lights I started with two leg lights, showing red to the rear and white to the front.

--I added yellow blinkers, starting with a 7 inch barricade light.

--After the barricade light I added smaller yellow blinkers. The best was something called the Far Out Flasher, sold by Schwinn stores in the 80's and by the late Ed Kearny (Bicycle Lighting Systems). The Belt Beacon was another, and I used those on my helmet, mounted with Velcro, juiced up by adding chrome tape to make a reflector behind the bulb.

--Beginning about 1990 I added the now-standard red LED blinkers [...] I had one on my helmet, mounted with hook-and-loop. [...] I bought a very large LED flasher being test-marketed at a Chinese exporter's booth designed for use by cars as an emergency road flasher, and packaged as a "Highway Safety Light." It is 4" x 6", and has 18 extremely bright LED's in three rows.

--I have replaced the incandescent blinking Far Out Flasher on my helmet with an Innova 24/7 led blinker. This is an octagonal light about 2" by 3" (50mm by 75mm) that velcros on well. [...] The light has a rectangular LED area with a rotating switch that selects different blink patterns and colors of LEDs. I use the one that flashes rapid red then white then yellow and looks vaguely like a police car flasher.

--I got a sample at Interbike of a single yellow led that screws onto a shraeder valve and goes around. [...] At present I am using an Inova 24/7 light on my helmet. It has red and white leds that blink in a very bright emergency light pattern, and runs happily for months on one CR2 photo battery.

--In general, I believe in redundancy

--I also like to "layer" my tail lights, with one at the level of the wheel axle, one under the saddle, and one on the helmet. The more I observe about urban light clutter the more I favor big, big lights and lights that have a signature. You will find this concept better developed on Ken Kifer's Web page discussion of the Flashing Neon Light Display, although I would not favor his use of a diesel generator to power the array.

(Ken Kifer's Flashing Neon Light Display is a parody of obsessive hyper-illumination, but the joke seems to have passed Randy Swart by, despite the humorous suggestion of using a diesel generator on a bike purely to generate light.)

--In 2010 the battery powering my car light failed once again and I bought a new Magicshine system from Geoman Gear.

--For reflectors I use the hottest 3M product I can lay my hands on to add reflectivity to pedals, shoes, cranks (flashes as the cranks go around), panniers, clothing, helmet, anywhere else. 3M markets a "snake" in Europe that weaves around the spoke nipples, and under headlights looks like a ring of white, identifying the bike immediately. [...] I am trying a similar product now from a company called Techflex. [...] I am using one on the front wheel of my night bike, but my panniers obstruct it in the rear.

--You can find 3M Scotchlite in many local stores, but for their hotter stuff, you have to go to the Web to places like Itendi-tape. [...] I use it on helmets and some other spots