Hi-Viz believer or non believer?

I have noticed hi viz helping, especially during low light times. For a while I wore dark colors, but when I switched to hi viz I noticed people jamming on brakes a intersections, driveways etc. maybe they think I'm a cop? Either way, I don't assume they see me, but it only has to make a difference once....

Australian Post Office riders wear full hi-viz jackets, white helmet, vi-viz on their saddle bags, and a pole with a small hi-viz flag. High-viz pants in the rain. I live near a post office distribution center, so ever morning I pass them coming up the road toward me as they head out to their various runs. You can see them clear as day about a mile down the road coming toward you. Far more noticeable that the average rider wearing black.

In contrast the typical courier rider wears a construction type vest, looks like it hasn't been washed in 20 years, open at the front and flapping vertical behind them in the wind. Probably satisfies their employment conditions that they must wear one, but doesn't look like it makes one scrap of difference.

So to me it's not a question of hi-viz v's non high-vis. Both above examples are hi-viz but quite different in effectiveness. It's about what (bike and gear) is effective in improving your front on visibility. A white leather jacket is going to be far more effective than a black jacket with a couple of small hi-viz stripes. Someone riding a yellow full faring bike etc....

Not really. The morons don't see fire truck with big flashing lights, neon paint and loud sirens. I doubt they will see me any better.

... and cop mustache! It's definately the mustache that gets the attention!

I have to agree with DC2wheels' experience. I spent a day following another rider wearing hi-viz and was also impressed. He stood out from the background even as he passed in and out of sunny and deeply shaded areas. His black bike practically disappeared from underneath him in the shadows.

I purchased a hi-vis vest after that. Cheap disposable highway worker model with reflective 2" stripes. I wear it over other gear I already have, like SheSaid. When it fades I will toss it and buy another.

It looks stupid. I feel stupid. I feel like an adult version of that hall pass 'safety guard' dork who I hated in grade school. I switched to a full face helmet and dark shades to hide my identity.

My mustache is still visable!

Bob

This

Then why do they paint fire trucks bright with flashing lights and sirens if some people still don't see them?

being an owner of a bright yellow jeep I recognize that "hi-viz" is a fact of life.

that said... only for a bmw rain suit. other than that, not really for me and I'm not going to concern myself with it in the least. "personally". if I had a newb gf or daughter riding I would encourage them to wear some. but then it would still be their call.

they do... and it works. nothing is going to work 100% in all circumstances with all aspects covered.

but I'm still not going to bother.

so I am a believer just a non-give-a-shiter.

And this

Hopefully hi-vis gear would play a role in distinguishing me in the minds of jurors who may be unsympathetic to biker stereotypes (earned or not).

I say bullshit on anyone that thinks it don't help.

Think about the camouflage effect of a a black or grey car, 12% more likely to be in an accident.

The latest craze is to be all murdered out and no flashy colors...

Hi viz works, but so does white, its ALL ABOUT CONTRAST.

My next helmet will be solid white.

My experience with Hiu Vis green is it fades very fast. 50K miles and it looks pretty pale and ugly.

Needs improvement.

Rod

I think my lights are enough.

Heck, I just installed a 10,000 watt stereo and subs on my bike and jam Iron Maiden full blast so everyone can hear me. I'm also installing pyrotechnic lasers that shoot 500 feet in the sky so everyone can see me.

Oh yeah, I ride an 82 honda express.

Good choice. For the more 'fashion conscious', my full face white helmet has some black graphics, but its mostly on the sides and back. Front on its mostly still all white.

With a little thought you can still buy a racey looking helmet that's pretty good from a viability point of view, and you don't have to tell no one. Just say you liked the color.

anyone who thinks their personal safety is dependent on someone else seeing them and giving a shit has already blown it.

i don´t wear hi viz and most likely will not wear it in the future. it does´t change anything. no matter if you wear it or not, you always have to act like you´re not being seen. you can´t trust anyone, cager or biker, to see you, no matter what you are wearing.
but, i don´t ride in cities, i avoid the "autobahn" as much as possible and i don´t commute. and i have loud pipes...

For fly-rides I always take my Remington hunting jacket bought in a Walmart in Wisconsin...


A 3000-year-old Hittite carving near Cappadocia, Turkey.

For tours on my own bike I wear a black Belstaff.
The French were trying to make it compulsory to wear hi-viz, but I think that's been scrapped now.

If it came to court, the "I didn't see him" excuse obviously wouldn't work if you're wearing hi-viz.

I'm an atheist, so I don't easily believe in stuff without tangible proof that I can see, and that I can replicate. In my opinion, the statistics about adding hi viz clothes don't lie. If studies have shown that wearing hi viz reduces your likelihood to be in an accident, I believe them. While the studies don't conclusively prove causation (just correlation), I think a strong case can be made that hi viz reduces accidents.

In my own experience wearing a yellow Aerostich jacket, I have had drivers pull up next to me to check out my jacket and lift their sunglasses to see just how bright my jacket is. While it won't save me in every case (much like a seatbelt or airbags), if I have to make a pick, I'm rolling with the odds that say hi viz can help and backing it up with good armor and a sturdy helmet.

It's a belt-and-suspenders approach really; hope for the best (be visible and avoid an accident) and plan for the worst (armor and a helmet). Life is too short and too precious for me to accept any more risk than necessary. You can wear whatever you want (it's your life to risk), but as for me and mine, hi viz is the way we roll.

I wear a Hi Viz jacket and have reflective tape on my helmet. I work nights and ride all the time at night. I get a lot of looks at bike night but what do I care? It helps my piece of mind and whether it works or not I still ride like no one can see me on the road. ATHVGATT

I cannot find a reason that I should dress the same color as road and shadow.

I have looked up the road past the cars in front of me and NOT seen the motorcyclists dressed in all black and gray. They're the same color as pavement and shadow and not big enough to blot out the light as a tractor-trailer rig might.

I ride in thick fog where bright colored cars are visible far earlier than gray and tan. I ride in the rain fairly often.

I choose to wear a yellow Aerostich jacket which was "hi-viz" when they introduced it, but isn't near as bright as more recent introductions. It is not magic. It may help some drivers see me. It may not.

Other riders, or cagers, may not understand my reasoning. That misunderstanding is not limited to the color of my jacket but extends to why I ride or why I ride the motorcycles that I do. Their understanding or lack of understanding is not something I can fix.