Visibility, Are You Being Seen?

[Uncle Phil]

My whole point was not that the rider thinks he become 'invincible' (so please don't assume my intent ) but that if drivers are not paying attention, it doesn't matter what you are wearing, how many lights you have on, or how loud your pipes are. High viz, lots of lights, etc. - and I have them - are all good but if we as riders are depending on that for a driver to see us, sooner or later they are going to get nailed. At the end of the day, it is up to us to protect ourselves because the answer will always be 'Officer, I just didn't see them' or as my friends across the pond say 'SMIDSY'. And practice is good but in 600,000+ miles of road experience, the things that get you are the things that you could never practice for. A classic example was when the rider in front of us got clocked by a low running deer coming from behind him at an angle that knocked his front wheel out from under the bike. One minute he's fine the next minute him and the bike are sliding down the highway. I don't remember if he even had time to get on his brakes until after the deer struck.

One interesting question about high viz - is a white helmet better (as I saw it mentioned several times) than a helmet with lots of reflective high viz markings on it?
Just curious about that one as I have a high viz helmet.

 

[dduelin]

My whole point was not that the rider thinks he become 'invincible' (so please don't assume my intent ) but that if drivers are not paying attention, it doesn't matter what you are wearing, how many lights you have on, or how loud your pipes are. High viz, lots of lights, etc. - and I have them - are all good but if we as riders are DEPENDING on that for a driver to see us, sooner or later they are going to get nailed. At the end of the day, it is up to us to protect ourselves because the answer will always be 'Officer, I just didn't see them' or as my friends across the pond say 'SMIDSY'. And practice is good but in 600,000+ miles of road experience, the things that get you are the things that you could never practice for. A classic example was when the rider in front of us got clocked by a low running deer coming from behind him at an angle that knocked his front wheel out from under the bike. One minute he's fine the next minute him and the bike are sliding down the highway. I don't remember if he even had time to get on his brakes until after the deer struck.

One interesting question about high viz - is a white helmet better (as I saw it mentioned several times) than a helmet with lots of reflective high viz markings on it?
Just curious about that one.

What was that you weren’t saying?

Just another tool Phil. One of many we choose to use or not.

 

[SupraSabre]

When I was commuting in SoCal, I found my best defense were the Headlight modulators. And then I found that the LEDs attached to the headlight modulators even got more attention.

This is a comparison of stock bulbs VS LEDs. And YES. the LEDs with this modulator are NOT Legal, but I run them anyway!

But trust me, sometimes it still wasn't enough!

Go to about 1 minute in...

 

[ST Gui]

As Supe demonstrates – nothing is perfect nor guaranteed. No one has suggested otherwise. As dduelin observes – just another tool you can choose to use. Or not.

As to white helmets I vaguely recall the old (now mostly if not completely outdated) Hurt Report saying that helmet color didn't seem to make a difference. I choose to think it can but can't at all verify that.

I also choose to think reflective marking give a helmet's color an increased edge. I view the reflective nature as 'active' compared to a non-reflective helmet's color that's just 'there'. This would be akin to additional brake lights that include some flashing ability and possibly the Skien lights that are designed to catch your peripheral vision.

I'll stipulate that a light or other conspicuity device not seen is not effective in that moment and bad things could result. But for the most part adding passive and active devices doesn't hurt. Is this were someone would pipe up to say 'You can't depend on that/them' in spite of no one claiming that you can.

Love me some flashing lights. But they should have some semblance of organization or orchestration and not be a cacophony of light.

Now you see me.
Now I'm stopping.
Please do the same.

And no Close Encounters show. Although that would be kind of awesome.

 

[Weaselinsuit]

Now this is hi vis

 

[Upt' North]

True.
In a true emergency maneuver, when things happen in milliseconds, people react. We do not think, analyze, decide, and respond. There just isn't time enough. Reactions are a result of repetition. Many people like to think that they will be better in an emergency than they actually will be. Under stress in an emergency people do what they always do- memory muscle. This is why in many high stress rapid response jobs people train on the same techniques over, and over, and over- to develop the correct memory muscle response. If we want to be proficient at emergency stopping and hazard avoidance, we need to practice emergency stopping and hazard avoidance.

Couldn't agree more, the simple process of loading up the front wheel before applying hard braking can become second nature and you will/I do use it everytime I operate the front brake. Snatching at the front brake will just cause premature intervention and a lengthened braking distance. Or without ABS you will hit the deck.
Plus for what it's worth Hi Viz probably won't save your ass, I've got that T.
Upt.

 

[Uncle Phil]

We all pick and choose what safety gear we use - I just purchased a Hit Air Vest as I've had that 'annoying' habit of breaking ribs lately.
If we didn't believe the stuff helped, we'd be riding in flip flops, cutoffs and t-shirts and with a pea pot helmet if one at all.
Hopefully it all helps for the drivers that are 'driving' and don't have their faces stuck in a cell phone.
I passed one yesterday because she was doing the 'cell phone weave'.
As I went by I could have reached over and slapped her and she would have never known what happened.
She was intently staring at the device in her hand - driving was a 'secondary' task.
Those are the ones - the 'mobile phone booths' - that nothing helps and sometimes we don't know which ones they are.
My biggest fear riding in traffic is getting tagged from behind by such a driver - especially when there is no viable 'escape'.
I have a Whelen flashing LED on the rear reflectors of all my ST1100s and they flash all the time when the brakes are applied.
Someone said that it is illegal but I figure it's illegal to hit me so I'll take my chances in court!
But if the driver is face down in a phone, that's not going to deliver me - I still keep scanning my rear mirrors and trying to figure out an 'escape'.