Compulsory long sleeve fluoro jackets and other stuff

[GrayWolf]

[QUOTE=Rover;1130163157]A interesting story from Ireland, They are looking at introducing WOF's for motorcycles, compulsory long sleeve Hi-vis jackets and the Europeans are wanting to restrict modifications. As Ireland has a lot in similar with us, I wonder how far away compulsory long sleeve fluro's and no modifications will be from being introduced here../QUOTE]

Well a lot of rules becoming mandate relies simply on the apathy of the masses. look at the Poll tax riots of the late 1980's in the UK.... and similarly early 1980's a peter Bottomley MP was looking to make his political name (like s bradford) by attempting to introduce compulsory 'leg protectors' essentialy an area of impact absorbing material moulded onto fairings, or 'leg shields' for HD style bikes. Essentialy MAG, FEMA, etc all got together and the masses won out. BUT they had a groundswell of M/cyclists who got off their respective arses and protested more than once!
Personaly? I have no issue with hi vis or reflective panels, as long as I have a CHOICE in the matter. I would wear a helmet by choice, I wear ATGATT.
The concern is, like any newly introduced safety criteria, it works for a while, then familiarity sets in and accident rates rise again.
The most obvious and effective accident prevention any Govt can introduce is quite simple.... make the penalty fit the 'incident'. other countries have harsh penalties for death by drunk driving, or causing injury/death by inattention... Then you'll see a substantial reduction in accident rates.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Hi Viz black will be patented soon.

way too late for that. Though its hi viz only at night: theres a Cannondale rush that is black with black stickers but the black stickers glow in the dark. quite cool.

[awa355]

To pinch part of an above quote, " 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]"

Christ!!! you would only make that fuck up once.

[HenryDorsetCase]

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.

if it was Norway, it likely worked because its so near the Arctic their average day is 3 hours long, and shrouded in fog and all that. i.e. its dark all the bloody time!

[otter]

Fuck that shit, I'm busy trying to look badass in my leathers on my bike. I don't need some fluro jacket wrecking it for me. Not to mention it'll be another thing to carry around. I probably wouldn't wear my leather jacket if I had to wear another fluro jacket over it in summer either.

I already assume that cars don't see me when riding, and often they don't but I've mentally prepared for that and am already looking for an exit.

[otter]

way too late for that. Though its hi viz only at night: theres a Cannondale rush that is black with black stickers but the black stickers glow in the dark. quite cool.

Do you know where to get the sheets of the black stuff that turns white with flashes or glow in the dark sounds fine...I'm kinda keen to cover my bike with it

[imdying]

Do you know where to get the sheets of the black stuff that turns white with flashes or glow in the dark sounds fine...I'm kinda keen to cover my bike with it

Yup, reflective black vinyl reflects white. Not as bright as white vinyl does, but more than bright enough.

[Gremlin]

way too late for that. Though its hi viz only at night: theres a Cannondale rush that is black with black stickers but the black stickers glow in the dark. quite cool.

Black reflective vinyl. Cool stuff, I have some. 3M brand.

Do you know where to get the sheets of the black stuff that turns white with flashes or glow in the dark sounds fine...I'm kinda keen to cover my bike with it

These guys have it: http://www.computaleta.co.nz/

Don't bother with the safety shops. I tried them all. One person looked like I had crept out from under a rock, saying black reflective was a contradiction. Asked someone that had been there for 20-30 years... he'd never seen it... Guys above didn't even blink and asked how much. Sold in 600mm wide sheets, by the metre.

[SPman]

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

I beleive a Simpson Bandit helmet painted as a skull works really well - around town anyway.

40,000 in UK protest and the same level of reporting you get in NZ papers....

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-...est/19115.html

[Road kill]

Got evidence to disprove it?

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

Not at hand,,but yes I have seen it.

[Road kill]

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.

Hi vis gear does make you more visible,,it doesn't make motorists better at what their doing.
The logic here seems to be that wearing hi viz makes you more likely to be involved in an accident,,,I don't support the compulsary wearing of hi viz gear,,but I ain't buying that.

[steve_t]

The logic here seems to be that wearing hi viz makes you more likely to be involved in an accident

[p.dath]

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.

Never look anything but black? I've done plenty of riding at night time with other riders wearing high-viz, and can't say I have ever noticed it.

I also see on this site about ambulance design they say sodium lights have little effect on yellow/green, making them a little bit whiter. It's only the other colours that get washed out to grey/blown/black.
http://www.ambulancevisibility.com/index.php?p=1_16

[eliot-ness]

Should it be made compulsory for the wearing of high viz gear then it figures that, in a year's time, all accidents will be attributed to the wearing of such gear, whereas black leathers only contributed to 10%. So, a ban on fluorescent garb will cut the accident rate by 90%. Problem solved.

[riffer]

Should it be made compulsory for the wearing of high viz gear then it figures that, in a year's time, all accidents will be attributed to the wearing of such gear, whereas black leathers only contributed to 10%. So, a ban on fluorescent garb will cut the accident rate by 90%. Problem solved.

Don't count on it. They're just as likely to decide it's because you aren't wearing ENOUGH high-viz gear and won't be happy until you look like a fluoro yellow idiot.