Hmm. I've had a change of attitude on this hi-viz thing

[EnzoYug]

If you want to be noticed go everywhere with your high-beams and in first gear.
Also at traffic lights you should red-line the bike whilst in neutral so that all the cars know where you are.

See Also: "Loud Pipes woulda saved ya"

[Bassmatt]

See Also: "Loud Pipes woulda saved ya"

I believe that if you are deaf you may still hold a drivers licence, however Im pretty sure you wont get one if you are blind.

[Spazman727]

Aus Post puts gay little flags on the back of their postie bikes. The only effect they seem to have is whipping back at you when you go under a tree.
Post claims that it will make the postie safer and more visible, because drivers are always looking for a dull yellow piece of fabric about 2 meters in the air... (they faded after about a week on the bike)
There is the argument that a solid black (or other colour) is more visible than a jumble of colours (which wearing a vest would possibly create). This is one of the reasons for camouflage, it's not that the colours look like the forest or whatever necessarily, but that it breaks up the shape of the wearer so they no longer look like a human.
In saying that, I was once wearing a solid, bright orange jacket with reflective stuff, and I almost got hit on a round about by a guy who claimed he didn't see me. That was a solid flouro jacket which was freaking huge.
The key is not to legislate stuff to make bikers more visible to other road users, but to make other road users think about the possibility of there being a bike behind that lamp post, or in their blind spot. Until people learn to look for all possible hazards, it's up to us (and even when/if people know to look out for a bike) to make sure we are seen, or have a good escape route if things turn pear shaped.

A note on the postie flag thing, there was a guy who had worked for post for about a month and got hit by a car once. Then they brought in the flags, and he got hit by 2 cars in one week. I know that's probably because he was a retard, but it's an interesting thing to note.

[MSTRS:Me]

...
A note on the postie flag thing, there was a guy who had worked for post for about a month and got hit by a car once. Then they brought in the flags, and he got hit by 2 cars in one week. I know that's probably because he was a retard, but it's an interesting thing to note.

It's not interesting. It is reality. No-one and nothing can make any driver see a rider. Except for the driver.

[Spazman727]

It's not interesting. It is reality. No-one and nothing can make any driver see a rider. Except for the driver.

Exactly. That's why there is no point in making it compulsory to wear a vest. All well and good if you want to, but don't let it lull you into a false sense of security.

[george formby]

I covered a 1000k's at the weekend & made a mental note to check out the bikes I passed, was passed by & the effect of their clothing. My gf is on the road now so I'm almost paranoid about her safety.
The normal vests, narrow shoulders, v neck & flappy are marginal when it comes to being seen from the front but full fluoro jackets stand out like mutts nuts from miles away. Fluoro helmets are as good if not better. I think the vests are almost pointless if your on a sportier bike. Any hoo, I e-mailed a manufacturer with this little nugget of observation because I could not find a product which fits between the two. Be interesting to see if they take it on board.

[Voltaire]

I was riding my inner city vehicle today....the scootah.....and I had a Hi Viz vest on ...... I was happily going up the bus lane when a truck in the other lane pulled across my path and blasted his horn.....I braked to avoid him as he turned left.
He was blasting his horn to tell me his rear LH indicator was not working....well thats what I figure as his front side one was working.
I think he saw my Hi Viz vest....thanks Hi Viz...
Bus lanes are ok but you have to be even more vigilant.

[MSTRS:Me]

Exactly. That's why there is no point in making it compulsory to wear a vest. All well and good if you want to, but don't let it lull you into a false sense of security.

Totally agree.
It's just that I don't find it 'interesting' that cars hit motorcycles - hi-vis, flags or not. Drivers who aren't paying attention won't be seeing you anyway. Which is where 'reality' comes in. Some of these fuckers in positions of influence, shall we say, desperately need a dose of reality themselves. A big, fuckoff, hi-vis wrapped, lethal dose. It might wake them up...

[Dodgy]

I am fairly sure that if you rode around with a lance (be it dayglo or black), motorists would notice it and take heed. Merely because they would feel threatened and would see it. Sort of like popo on bikes - motorist have no trouble seeing them as their wallets are poteintially under threat.

[Usarka]

If you want to be noticed go everywhere with your high-beams

Fuck that, I had a bike following me in the car the other day with his lights on full. I moved my mirror so I couldn't see the cunt, serves him right if he was passing and I didn't check my mirror.

If it causes a fellow rider to think that then I'm sure it would be enough to make some drivers manufacture the situation on purpose.....

[Bassmatt]

Fuck that, I had a bike following me in the car the other day with his lights on full. I moved my mirror so I couldn't see the cunt, serves him right if he was passing and I didn't check my mirror.

If it causes a fellow rider to think that then I'm sure it would be enough to make some drivers manufacture the situation on purpose.....

+1 .My wife has decided to have her light on highbeam all the time. She has now been instructed to stay well behind me (or low beam only) when we ride together as the glare in my mirrors was very distracting.
And no I dont make her ride behind me she says she doesnt like having me follow her.

[Oakie]

Exactly. That's why there is no point in making it compulsory to wear a vest. All well and good if you want to, but don't let it lull you into a false sense of security.

The first day out on the road with my new jacket I had to consciously tell myself not to assume that they must see me because "feck this yellow is bright!". That only lasted a day before I was just riding normally again (as if no one could see me). It is that part that worries me with L platers wearing hi-viz and then feeling totally safe.

[Berries]

My wife has decided to have her light on highbeam all the time. She has now been instructed to stay well behind me (or low beam only) when we ride together as the glare in my mirrors was very distracting.

If a car or bike is coming towards me with its lights on full beam I stick mine on full beam as well, whether I am in a car or on a bike, day or night. Can you not tell her it uses up all the electricity quicker and is thus bad for the environment or something?

[Horney1]

You wear what you want, JUST LEAVE ME OUT OF IT! I'll wear what I want AND I'll stick to my proven tactic of watching out for THEM and avoiding THEM before their very narrow banded thought processors have even ticked over another 3 second segment as they become aware that something has just gone by. Think I'll stick with what I wear to avoid giving THEM something to fixate on and hit or decide that "Oh, no no, no that motorbike is not going to pass me". I'm happy and comfortable with what I wear. Clothe yourselves not others.

On Flouro:
I am sick of being blinded at night by bloody flouro everywhere, square meter upon square meter of blinding signage, coneage (& ridiculous street lighting) etc. I firmly believe it is actually dangerous to have bright reflective surfaces shining back at you while driving at night. Have you ever done the let your eyes adjust to the darkness thing (5 to 10 minutes) then turn on the light for a bit then turn it off and see what you can see test? You are usually basically blind for a few minutes. It annoys the crap out of me having to dip my lights going into corners because it so bloody blinding to leave them on high with all of the huge and highly reflective signs straight ahead on the edges of the corner - right at the moments when one needs to have to lights on full. Or putting my lights on full on a long straight only to be dazzled by a bright reflective sign a kilometer or two down the road. Really? Do they have to be that reflective and large? Then there is the sheer qhantity of all this flouro reflective "material" on & beside the roads. It's just too much and more confusing than helpful. I tend to look away from these things, not at them. Sorry if one of them is a motorcyclist that crosses my path! If we were not blinded by bloody lights and reflective surfaces everywhere EVERYONE stands a better chance of actually seeing what is on the road and doing whatever they need to do to get along incident free. We need less flouro on the roads, not more. TWO MOONS!

[Oakie]

I'll wear what I want AND I'll stick to my proven tactic of watching out for THEM and avoiding THEM before their very narrow banded thought processors have even ticked over another 3 second segment as they become aware that something has just gone by.

Hi-viz should never replace your tactic (and my tactic and it should be all bikers tactic of watching THEM). For me it's an addition to how I ride to keep myself safe and if it gves me another 10% chance of a car driver registering that I'm there then that's good enough for me