Does hi-vis vest really works?

[vincentmoy]

Here's the story.

This afternoon I was riding around the city like I usually do. The sun was up and bright and it's just one of those REALLY nice day for a ride.

I was on a 4-lane 2-way street doing the speed limit (40ish) on the passing lane (left lane) and I saw a Ford Explorer was waiting to turn right from a strip mall parking lot. Out of hobbit I had my thumb covered the horn just in case. Then I saw the SUV started turning and it would be fine as the right lane was empty but I kept an eye out for it cause you never know what some dumba$$ would do:spank:

Before you knew it, I realized the SUV was pulling into MY lane!!!!:Flip: I horned and swerved to the left side of my lane. According to my friend who was driving a cage behind me, the SUV missed me by maybe a couple ft if that

At the stop light I turned around and look, the girl, who I be damned if she's even 20, could barely see over the dash

I have a hi-vis vest in my tail bag but lately I've been lazy with it. However, this incident got me thinking. I've only been riding a little over a mo. for this season and this is the 3rd time I almost got ran over by cages. Hell, this might have been the closest call I have since I started riding 3 years ago!:spank: I am wondering if wearing a hi-vis vest will help at all.

What do you guys think?

 

[Bowkill144]

I have a Hi Vis Jacket and helmet, I believe it does help get me noticed however you still have to ride like you are invisible because some people still just look right through you like you are not even there.

 

[ChevyFazer]

+1 on that. It does help but you can't rely on it to save you because it only helps if someone is looking at you or can see you in the 1st place. In my experience it's the people who are distracted by something or someone else who almost hit me, in other words they didn't even look to begin with so I don't wear one. To help me get noticed I run with my high beams on all the time, and if they still don't see me and try to move into my lane, since my exhaust is way louder then my horn, I pull my clutch in and bounce it off the rev limiter. I've let someone else ride my bike while I was in my truck and told them to do that while I was in front of them so see I I could hear it better then my horn, and yes it doesn't matter where I'm at vs the car my exhaust can be herd way better than my horn. I hear people say a lot that since exhaust is pointed to the rear that it does no good for the people in front of you, which are the ones you need to worry about. In most cases I imagine this would be true, especially when just cruising along, but when I pull the clutch and let it bounce off the limiter I get noticed. It hasn't failed me yet where my horn has. I still don't rely on that, I mainly rely on being able to out maneuver the cages, or avoiding them all together. But still every now and again some dumbass talking away on their cell phone, putting on makeup, or dealing with their kids in the back seat has tried to move into my lane, pull out in front of me or something similar and if I have no place to go or not enough time to stop or accelerate out of there I will then and only then rely on my exhaust to get me noticed. And I'll say it again, it has yet to let me down.

I remember one time where this older Benz tried moving from the left to right on top of me, I pulled the clutch and let it sing!!! That person swerved so hard back into their lane that they almost went into oncoming traffic!!! I've also seen cars that were 2 and even 3 cars up react to hearing my bike!!!

 

[Downs]

I wear a hi-viz jacket. I think it helps in some cases and doesn't in others (I put maybe on your poll). It all depends on the circumstances. Some people wouldn't see you if you had fireworks shooting off your bike and neon arrow over your head.

 

[Botch]

I used to wear a black and gray jacket. Several years ago the Air Force Base where I work started requiring them, and while I don't have hard statistics, it sure seems that I have fewer incidents. But as others have said above, you always have to be on your guard.

 

[boarder4life81]

Best hi-vis gear I've seen has been a white, white/black combo helmet. My cousin has one and is frequently told that he is mistaken for a cop at first glance or from a distance. Cagers really seem to behave then.

 

[crowelor]

I put yes in your poll, but I agree with the general sentiment. I wear a Hi-Viz helmet and my jacket has some hi-viz on it. I figure that I'd rather have every advantage I can when it comes to visibility. Hi-Viz is different than any other normal color someone will see on the road, so if they look your way, hopefully it will register.

But regardless of that fact, I can't ride like everyone sees me and understands my speed/lane position/etc. So I still ride like they can't see me. I believe it was in MSF that they told us it's hard for cagers to judge speed of bikes, so for me Hi-Viz is worn in hopes that it makes them look twice and that second look will help prevent them from doing something stupid.

I believe between that and my added lights people are more cautious around me.

 

[mxgolf]

I don't have hi vis gear but do have a loud horn and a yellow head light on the right side of my FZ6. Plus I now have a head light modulator and wow people just pull over when I am behind them. They must think I am a cop. Never the less I alway ride like I am invisible and no one can see me. Too many people still talk on there phones even though it's illegal here in Oregon and Washington. I do keep my lights on hi beam except at night. My horn is the PIAA dual sport horns. Ride Safe And Enjoy The Ride.

 

[adberns]

Hi-viz does work to reduce your risk of a crash. It will obviously not eliminate this risk, as others have said. So it's not some magic talisman that wards off left-turners and illegal passers and such. As others have said, it's another tool to help decrease your chance of an accident.

There have been multiple studies about high-viz and motorcycles. This one examined data and found high-visibility (and white helmets) reduced crash risks. Heck, it's easier just to say to do a Google Scholar search for conspicuity motorcycle. Some of those articles are old -- 70s, 80s, 90s. The traffic environment has changed since they were written, but I wouldn't discount their findings entirely, just take with a grain of salt.

Here's one study that is recent and looks how quickly users could spot a motorcycle in various pictures based upon (i) the rider's apparel, (ii) the background, and (iii) the size. I had remembered this a little wrong, so I'll just leave that link and let people read it for themselves. Basically, it's the background contrast that seemed to matter most. I can't help but wonder, though, if all motorcycles were found in time to avoid an accident, which clearly doesn't happen on the road. Perhaps hi-viz helps break through driver inattention better? I'll do more digging, post more later.

OK, one last edit, I swear. Thought I'd also mention I always ride with a reflective hi-viz vest over my jacket.

 

[Grainbelt]

I wear a white lid, and it helps a bit, I think. I dunno about a vest. My topcase and my windscreen would obscure it from front and back.

In your situation, the best thing is to try like hell to make eye contact. If they don't look right at you, they didn't see you, and you know all bets are off.

 

[Spideyrex]

I saw a distinct reduction in the number of people turning left in front of me once I started wearing a hi-viz vest. No close calls before, but now I see people wait for me to pass before taking their turn, where before they would just go. They clearly see me coming now and wait. Proof enough for me.

I now ride with a hi-viz jacket and high beams on.

 

[JeffD]

IMO, every little bit helps. You can't rely on a single tactic to get seen or save you from a collision that's not your fault. You need to use many tactics together as most of you have stated. But guess what, that still doesn't mean you'll always be seen or never have a collision.

Just this past March I was hit by an SUV at a FOUR-WAY-STOP for CRYING OUT LOUD!!! High beams, reflective helmet, red air-mesh jacket, red bike.

The bottom line is, you can't acount for everyone else on the road. To those JagBags, there are WAY too many other things to be doing rather than operating your machine responsibly. Here's my favorite line, that I came up with: "Do you know why they call it the Driver's Seat?"

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE IN IT!!!!

Not eveything else but drive responsibly. Most folks in a cage think they're on auto-pilot and nothing will happen to them until BAM! They hit a bike. Oh, and guess what, "They didn't even see you".

I still ride baby!:rockon:

 

[JeffD]

Oh, by the way: (I forgot to ask this in the heat of all my ranting!!)

Once I finally get a FZ6, can we get those special intense blue headlight bulbs for the FZ6? You know, the ones that seem to get your attention as you're driving or riding down the road?

I have to think it would be one more tactic in your tool box of "See me Tricks".

 

[CNY Fizzer]

I have a Hi-Vis jacket and it definitely seems that people pay more attention to you and watch you for a longer amount of time.

 

[tejkowskit]

I have the scorpion exo700 in high viz and have definitely noticed a difference. Of course there will still be those who don't see you..no matter how many flashing lights and bright colors you are equipped with.

It's all about reducing risk. No matter what precautions you take riding a motorcycle is high risk. The goal with hi-viz is to reduce the risk; it will not completely eliminate it. 90% of the information a person receives and processes while driving is visual, and wearing something that stands out is a big way to reduce your risk on a motorcycle. Understand and take action on the risks of riding.

 

[dxh24]

On my trip to Ohio, i wore HI-Vis neon green rain overalls with reflective linings, and i can 100% tell you i could tell people noticed me more. Most of the time they were pointing and chuckling at the poor biker in the funny pants in the downpour, but at least they saw me!

 

[Erci]

Here is how I see it. People are more likely to see you in certain situations if you're wearing high vis / reflective gear (only helps marginally on bright sunny days). What's important to always remember is that no matter how visible your gear is (and if you have high beams on.. and if you have loud pipes.. and if you use your horn), there's a great chance someone will still not see you!

Stack the odds in your favor by wearing high vis gear, but don't count on it as a sure way to be noticed.
You handled the situation very well, but next time try to use the horn in advance.. once again stack the odds in your favor. Also a good idea to swerve from side to side if conditions permit.. small moving headlight is easier to see than small static headlight.

Be safe!

 

[DownrangeFuture]

I don't think it helps much. The 2010 MAIDS report seemed to indicate that if people aren't going to see you, they just aren't going to see you no matter what you do. Look at the statistics on police crashes with lights and sirens on. The vast majority are not the cop's fault, some idiot didn't see them! The MAIDS report said that more accidents happened per-captia with people in reflective/high-viz gear since the first report and there was not any statistical or anecdotal difference in the crashes between riders in high-viz and riders not wearing it.

It might help some in certain situations, sure, and if it makes you feel better then wear it. The hard part in this kind of research (and they fully admit to this) is that the situations where it actually helped can't be tracked.

Personally though, the only two times I've been hit, I was wearing a high-viz vest. In one case a guy turned left illegally without checking, and the first was a guy that decided that the spot I was in was empty and he could merge into traffic there.

Of course, saying no means I'm the odd ball. So take it's for what it's worth.


Edit: Research has proven that the only thing that really seems to help is swerving back and forth in your lane. Our brain tracks motion and a motorcycle is small and easy to lose in the background. The lateral motion makes you stand out from the background. They've developed missiles that stay "stationary" in reference to the background and most pilots dismiss the radar signatures as false since their brain literally removes the stationary image from the picture even though they're looking for it! Of course, then the missile hits...

 

[LesL60]

Yellow jacket (not Hi-Vis version) makes me feel better at least. I am aware of lane position so I'm more easily seen, bright lights on during the day, flash my brake light at stop lights while someone comes up from behind, watch tires and driver of left turning cars and cars coming from right (sometimes weave a little for both, too), and never assume any other driver is other than really high, distracted, or incompetent.

Looking at headlight modulator and led brake lights that flash. Oh, and a bazzoka for those who give me a fright with their inattentive driving.

We need a national ban on texting while driving. At least drunks are looking at the road with one eye...

 

[fb40dash5]

Like others have pointed out... visibility only helps the ones who COULDN'T see you. Not the other 75% who DIDN'T see you, because they weren't paying a bit of attention.

That said, either one could kill you just as dead. Might as well take as many precautions as is reasonable.