Hi Vis Clothing - do you use it?
Do you wear Hi Vis (High Visibility) clothing or adornments?
Personally I'm a big fan of High Visibility clothing when cycling and never go anywhere without a bright coloured top, usually with reflective panels or stripes.
If I’m riding somewhere and don’t wish to stand out when I get there, I’ll slip on my fluorescent Hi Vis wait coat – easily folds to nothing and sits inside my helmet when I arrive.
I just figure that the more visible I am, the more easily I can be seen and the safer I’ll be.
I always feel somewhat puzzled though when I see people that look like they are trying to make themselves invisible to drivers.
Case example being - when driving into the Central Market around sunset last night I saw a man with a black bike, black pants, grey top and black and grey backpack. Perfectly colour coordinated but at dusk, on a grey road he was almost impossible to see. No lights or fluorescent straps to help him be seen in the peak hour traffic.
At night I see some people riding with great headlights and flashing rear lights and feel quite envious of these safety features. I don’t ride at night because lights of this quality (while I’m sure they are good value for money) are not cheap and I wouldn’t feel safe enough with something more affordable.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by heather on -
These days there appears to be anti-discrimination legislation in Australia for most minorities, except for cyclists who are doing their bit to cap road congestion, air pollution and climate change. Still legal in Australia for journalists, comedians and other celebrities to publicly state anti-cyclist messages, including suggesting using your car to hit cyclists. Then there are the cyclist-unaware authorities, like the police officer who stated on TV after a truck killed a cyclist, that bicycles should not be on Port River Expressway when it is legal to cycle there.
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Permalink Reply by Sean Smith on -
Actually, I feel a lot safer riding at night... I leave Nth Adelaide at around 6pm heading to Glenelg. I feel I can see traffic better, and hopefully the drivers see me better as well! Unfortunately the pot holes are harder to spot, but having lived in Adelaide for some time now, I am used to this anyway ;-) My bad, but I don't wear hi-vis clothing - it doesn't go with my denim and cargo look ;-) Many drivers are oblivious to their surrounds 24/7 me thinks!
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Permalink Reply by heather on
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Sean, I also feel safer cycling at night than during the day: less vehicles and my hi vis stuff stands out better at night. That said, SA reports indicate that cycling injuries at night tend to be more severe. Hope I never find out. Being hit during the day by negligent drivers is bad enough.
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Dickson on -
Absolutely - high viz fluoro yellow for me. And very bright lights. Always - day and night.
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Permalink Reply by Rob gregory on -
I read this blog with interest and would like to add my thoughts. My wife and I were on the way into town last night (30/4) when I pointed out a "stealth" cyclist to her. No reflector, no lights, black bike, black clothing and perhaps worst of all, no helmet! A road accident statistic just waiting to happen. On the Wednesday after Easter I was knocked from my bike on the way to work by a car which turned across lanes of traffic to enter a drive way. This was about 5.30am (I start at 6am). Front and rear lights were on and working and I had my fluoro jacket on. The driver (who by the way was extremely upset that he had hit me and couldn't apologise enough for the accident) said that he just didn't see me. Fortunately the impact was at very low speed and the injuries that I sustained were very minor as was the damage to my bike. My feeling is that sometimes it doesn't matter how brightly lit up you are, if a motorist is NOT prepared for the possibility of a cyclist being on the road, then no amount of visibility enhancers will save you. Particularly early in the morning.
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Permalink Reply by heather on
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Rob, I agree but the time of day does not enter into it. Still use hi vis gear in case that helps some drivers notice me. If you are do not have legally required lights and reflectors when hit and injured, then try to claim compensation, real risk that your claim will be reduced because you will have considered to have contributed.
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Permalink Reply by Frank on
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Ever looked in the fridge to fing the butter but not seen it? It was probably right in front of you!
Its the same thing, sometimes, quite often actually we can't or don't see the forest for the trees.
Our eyes are not trained for it, you could have had 747 landing lights glowing and made no difference, perhaps no lights, no high vis and black bike would have stood a better chance?
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Permalink Reply by Brian Jenkins (BJ) on -
Colours when I'm in the Hills (daytime), and normally around town. Reflective ankle straps at night, and if going into the CBD, vis top with reflective tape (average quality vest), an extra light, and reflective straps on arms. Some reflective tape on pannier rack and a couple of spokes, never tested if this shows up. When I ride to the social haunt at night, usually just the ankle straps for high-vis. Very quiet route, can see and hear any cars coming - plus I keep glancing at them regardless. I generally avoid high traffic areas at night, particularly main roads, as cyclists can be lost among all the other lights - this goes doubly (triply ...) when it's wet, as then have reflections off the roads as well.
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Permalink Reply by Pascalo on -
I don't like the flouro look. Never have, never will. Some of my jerseys have reflective strips attached to it, but that's that. I do have a 200 lumen front light though, and a very bright rear light as well.
I just wonder why cycling is made out to be this thing that needs all this special gear? In germany we even cycle without helmet, people cycle to work in shirt and suit, and they don't need a shower or lockers or anything like that, because they don't mistake their commute for the TDF. It's just a normal way of getting around.
Don't get me wrong, I do like sports cycling, and if you go fast a helmet probably makes a lot of sense, but the more you paint the picture of cycling as something that needs special protective gear, clothes, experience and all that the more you scare people like my wife from cycling the 5 minutes to the central markets.
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Permalink Reply by Jilden on -
Nobody is forcing cyclists to wear fluoro (yet) so it's your choice not to look dorky. However the reason I wear fluoro is the same as any safety measure I take, helmet, brakes, lights, bell, no ear buds, stay out of traffic as far as possible, remain alert, it is because everything I do to lengthen the odds of getting home alive and well is going to help ME.
Lack of fluoro vests won't kill you on any given day.
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Permalink Reply by Pascalo on
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In the UK there was a very prominent case (just before I moved to Adelaide in December) where a judge ruled that a cyclist had shared responsibility for the accident he was involved in because he wasn't wearing a helmet, despite the UK not having a mandatory helmet law.
Therefore I am concerned that there could be a blame culture in place, where excuses like "I didn't see him, after all he wasn't wearing a hi-viz vest" could shift a court case in favour of the idiot that ran you over at night despite you sticking to the letter of the law.
Which to me is a bit like victim blaming, i.e. "well, she did wear a short skirt ...".
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Permalink Reply by heather on
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Which to me is a bit like victim blaming, i.e. "well, she did wear a short skirt ...".
I read an apt response to this. A lawyer is chastised in court for encouraging a break-in and theft from his home. After all, he did wear expensive designer suits, drive a Mercedes, and live in a mansion in an elite suburb. Therefore the lawyer 'asked for it' and the thief was not responsible.
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