Safety vests...

[kickingzebra]

Caution, rant of some nature to follow.

OK, I work in the construction industirisery, was a builder, now a quantity surveyor.
Part of the ethos with commercial construction is these stupid little high vis vests, and safety helmets.

OK, So I go to site this morning, to measure up all the variation work (damn lazy architects on this job).
On site one has to wear safety vests and hats, moot point. The hast are useless too, but that is a different story.
To save myself the scunge and kootis of having to wear a well used vest from on site, I wear my own brand new, reflective tape, day and night rated vest.

It is not greasy or oily, or dirty in any way as to impunge upon the brightness of said vest.

Upon leaving site, I threw the vest on over top of my leather jacket (because I couldn't be bothered sticking it anywhere else) and indicate (going very slowly, road is covered in mud and sand)

Lady in a honda accord, looks right at me, and pulls out in front of me. Saw she was going to do it, so was already on the brakes, and over to the left of the road. Half way through the turn, she sees me, stops dead center of the road with her hand over her mouth in obvious horror.

I carried on my way, she probably has a puddle in her seat to remind her to look more carefully.

then less than a K down the road, Killarny and greenwood intersection, I indicate, am very upright (I never trust that roundabout) and going fairly slow.
Next second bloody great falcodore pulls out, barely 3 feet off my front wheel. I look him in the eye as I stop, then ride around him and carry on.

My contention therefore is this. Hi Vis vests are COMPLETELY USELESS.

I don't have that problem anywhere near as often when I am not wearing one, sure occasionally, but if they ain't looking, it won't matter what the hell you are wearing.

The guy in the falcodore looked terribly indignant that i should be there, right when he wants to pull out, but maybe the lady learnt her lesson.

As for vests, bugger that crap, I'll just try and catch their attention by being menacing in black leathers.

What are your thought people?

[Str8 Jacket]

My contention therefore is this. Hi Vis vests are COMPLETELY USELESS.

OR they work etremely well and those drivers saw you coming a mile off and thought "YES! One more bloody biker off the road!"

[kickingzebra]

OR they work etremely well and those drivers saw you coming a mile off and thought "YES! One more bloody biker off the road!"

Thats would mean the Lady actually wanted to wet herself?!

[Str8 Jacket]

Thats would mean the Lady actually wanted to wet herself?!

You'd be surprised mate!


Nah im sorry ive been having awful luck with "other road users" lately and it can make you quite nervous, which is not good for your riding!

[kickingzebra]

No harm done! Satire is great, It just surprised me, I ride every day, and then the one day I wear a vest, phychos come out to kill me!!

EDIT
I should say normally I lanesplit, and ride fairly offensively. The reason none of them got me is because I was expecting it... maybe it is a little too simplistic to blame it on the vest alone, but hell, I need a scapegoat and BS safety gear (especially when we make all those on our sites wear them) is a pretty good place to start!!

[Str8 Jacket]

No harm done! Satire is great, It just surprised me, I ride every day, and then the one day I wear a vest, phschos come out to kill me!!

He! One thing Ive learnt since Ive started riding is expect the unexpected! AND to be grateful that everytime you get home from riding around town that your in one peice!

[madboy]

I ride a black bike, and I'll be wearing either black leathers or black cordura with my black helmet. I speed, I lanesplit, I ride in all weather incl night time and rush hour every working day. I even ride with my licence label obscured sometimes - a capital offence it seems if you ever get pulled over. I can't say I have any more problems than anyone else with cars seeing me, or not. I think the key to survival is not what you ride, but how you ride it. A fine balance needs to be struck between a certain amount of aggression to make the cars show some respect, and a certain amount of defensiveness for those twats who are beyond help. Having wits to avoid the accident, and good gear for when you do bin will help more than any dayglo vest.

This is my opinion only - don't let this discourage any rider who wants to vest up. I'm just saying it's not for me.

[SimJen]

Don't forget Fieldays is on.....
Lots more shit drivers at the mo.

[sunhuntin]

i bought a hi-vis for night riding....i finish work at 7pm, and that means it may as well be midnight. i wore it for a while, but dont think it made much difference, so now dont bother.
i will wear it if the situation calls for it [ie, night and raining] just to increase my survival percentage.
but ive long been of the opinion, no matter how many lights or safety features of the same idea we have running, if they dont want to see us....they wont. we could hook up 10 sets of xmas lights and im sure they still would claim "i didnt see them!"

[TerminalAddict]

that k road greenwood st round about is getting a hammering on this site this week

[gunnyrob]

:Hell. if people can't see trains, what chance have we got. I just ride as if everyone is about to kill me, and if they do cut me off, the withering glare of doom puts 'em in their place.

[kickingzebra]

Withering glare of doom is only of limited value through a tinted visor
The other intersection for htose that know or care, was Duke street and ellis street, My site is down the southern end of duke. I turned right into ellis, having complete right of way.

Field days muppets might have something to do with it I suppose, good call.

[Ixion]

I (mostly) wear one. My take is, it's not infallible. But it may help. Sure, some idiots are so stupid they could lok at a super nova and not see it. But there's an intermediate range of idiots , who are too stupid to see a black jacket, but will see a day glo vest (mine is yellow/green- I think maybe they "see" that cos they think it may be a cop).

And: it costs bugger all ($5 per year, if you can't get one free from werk). It doesn't slow you down. It doesn't reduce fuel mileage. It doesn't wear tyres (or anything else) out more quickly

So, theres an (at least ) possible upside. And no down side whatsoever. So why WOULDN'T you wear one ? Even if the percentage extra surviveablity is small it;s not zero . And (apart from the possible $5 per year) the downside IS zero.

So , small possible upside, zero downside. Simple maths I think. So , why WOULDN'T you wear one?

[kickingzebra]

Its basically a rage against the machine concept - I hate them because they are required.
I suspect somebody one day thought, hmm, bright colours should make people easy to see, patented the idea and then (successfully) lobbied government etc to make them mandatory in so many fields.

The one thing to note here, is that in my looking thus far (fairly extensive) I have been unable to find one study that conclusively or otherwise points to the effectiveness of high vis vests in construction work. I view reflective tape for night use somewhat differently, as it is obvious that it works, but day time hi vis...
Nothing.

I suspect psychology has a lot to do with it, and people are so used to seeing hi vis vests etc on every second person, that they ignore them completely.

I would really like to find a study that does prove something about them, either way, because so far the whole idea seems completely unsubstantiated!

[Jantar]

The human brain is programmed to be aware of danger and potential threats. A high visibilty vest does not register as posing any threat, so although drivers may see it, it doesn't register. Someone dressed in black leathers, and black helmet though has that same driver's brain screaming "THREAT!!!". So though less visible black may be safer than bright colours.