Compulsory long sleeve fluoro jackets and other stuff

[Road kill]

There is no evidence anywhere to prove or even suggest that fluoro garments have ever saved a life or prevented an accident anywhere they're worn.

The biggest danger from these garments is the false sense of security they bestow on those who wear them.

Got evidence to prove that ?

[riffer]

Got evidence to prove that ?

Got evidence to disprove it?

Compulsory headlights in the day hasn't done a damned thing to change SMIDSY.

[CaSket]

Got evidence to prove that ?

I have seen countless study s saying that florescent vests do Didly Squat

If your relying on cars to see you, your riding badly anyway's.

[Scuba_Steve]

Got evidence to prove that ?

heres a start

A Wellington teenager who has twice been hit by a car while biking to school in high-visibility clothing says the gear does little to keep cyclists safe.

[Berries]

And here's another -

A Dunedin motorcyclist says hi-viz is rubbish. If car drivers like Steve Gurney can't even see a fucking train when crossing the track there is no chance they are going to see you on a bike. Ride accordingly. Wear whatever colour goes with your eyes.

[Hitcher]

Compulsory headlights in the day hasn't done a damned thing to change SMIDSY.

And encouraging car drivers to do the same thing doesn't help, as any small advantage bestowed by bikes having a point of difference is immediately vaporised.

[jazfender]

More importantly they look fucking stupid.

Anyone who thinks the government should have any control over what is worn in a public space should stick to writing complaints to the TV Guide.

[awa355]

Many years ago, they trialed car lights on in the state of Arizona. After a month, accidents had dropped by a 1/3'd. Then the accident rate started creeping back up to normal levels.

I wear a Hi Viz vest,( mostly) and it doesn't make buggar all difference. Drivers, still drive out in front at roundabouts, intersections etc.

Some people can look all day and still see nothing.

[Voltaire]

I wonder if headlights on an Hi Viz lead to target fixation, Drivers can only take in so much....the stereo....the passenger chatting.....all those dials and buttons...

wiki says:

Target fixation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Target fixation is a process by which the brain is focused so intently on an observed object that awareness of other obstacles or hazards can diminish. Also, in an avoidance scenario, the observer can become so fixated on the target that they will forget to take the necessary action to avoid it, thus colliding with the object.

This is a common issue for motorcyclists and mountain bikers. A motorcycle or bicycle will tend to go where the rider is looking; if the rider is overly focused on an obstacle, the cycle can collide with that object simply because of the rider's focus on it, even though the rider is ostensibly trying to avoid it.

The term "target fixation" may have been borrowed from World War II fighter pilots, who spoke of a tendency to want to fly into targets during a strafing run.

Target fixation may also refer to a phenomenon where a skydiver may forget to pull the ripcord because he or she is so focused on the landing area.[1]

[baptist]

And encouraging car drivers to do the same thing doesn't help, as any small advantage bestowed by bikes having a point of difference is immediately vaporised.

That is so true, and while I do wear hi vis at night (if I remember to pack it!) I have had buses pull out on me while wearing it... Put the money into rider and driver training... I think the idea of compulsory hi vis is just a cheap way of tptb saying they are doing something safety wise...

[Quasievil]

people glance and see a Hi Viz and think automatically a stationary object, a road worker etc

best thing is to wear black and look mean, they are less likely to fuck with you then, how many hard ass gang riders get knocked ? few I would expect as people are to scared to mess with them

[oneofsix]

That is so true, and while I do wear hi vis at night (if I remember to pack it!) I have had buses pull out on me while wearing it... Put the money into rider and driver training... I think the idea of compulsory hi vis is just a cheap way of tptb saying they are doing something safety wise...

observation on hi-vis at night, well before dawn actually but still whilst its dark and using street lighting. Two riders, one with white flashes on the jacket the other I eventually discovered was wearing a yellow hi-vis over the jacket. Under the motorway lights, street lights and car lights the hi-vis never look anything but black until I was nearly alongside the rider. Yellow does show as black under sodium (yellow) lights.
Point is hi-vis can't be relied on but guess most of the users already know this.

[willytheekid]

I wonder if headlights on an Hi Viz lead to target fixation

+1

And didn't Charlie Lamb (Director Australasian Institute of Motorcycle Studies)
conduct a survey in australia that proved Hi Viz didn't actually reduce the chances of an accident?
So there's no REAL proof that they make drivers more aware of bike's...besides....Shouldnt they be focusing on making car drivers more aware of other road users around them?.

I wear one when its foggy or poor weather...but that certainly didn't stop a 4x4 punching me off the highway recently, leaving me hanging off the bike with a dislocated shoulder trying to regain control of a tankslape on the grass medium @90k's!....guess he didn't see me huh...as he drove off pritty damn quickly!

I firmly believe they can create target fixation in some drivers

[wysper]

I have found having a cop follow you is great protection.

No bastard pulls out on you then!

[baffa]

Got evidence to disprove it?

Compulsory headlights in the day hasn't done a damned thing to change SMIDSY.

Disagree. One european country made it mandatory to have lights for all vehicles on during the day when driving a few years ago, much like what we have with motorbikes.
They had a significant decrease in vehicle accidents during the day.

It was either Norway or somewhere nearby.

I'm not arguing for or against, just saying there is some evidence to prove lights help.

With bikes its trickier. People notice things that are a risk to them. If it is a big risk, they take notice, a small one, they tend to ignore it. With a bike, everything is a big risk. With a car, a bigger car or a truck is a big risk, a bike barely distracts them from doing their makeup while they chat on the phone and forget to indicate and check mirrors.

Imo you want people to hit bikes less, give every bike a fking loud exhaust, and get people to be aggressive in traffic. A driver thats been woken up by a loud bike blatting past them is going to pay a lot more attention than one who is half asleep.