Does anyone wear safety vests biking?

[Anonymous]

It would be a very tough pitch in my house but they sound like a good idea?

[Anonymous]

How about a giant "Kick Me" sign instead?

[Anonymous]

I’m picturing the poor kid wearing the vest and the mask lanyard from the other thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be a very tough pitch in my house but they sound like a good idea?

Why do they sound like a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be a very tough pitch in my house but they sound like a good idea?

Why do they sound like a good idea?

They increase visibility. There’s a reason workers are required to wear them on or near roadways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be a very tough pitch in my house but they sound like a good idea?

Why do they sound like a good idea?

They increase visibility. There’s a reason workers are required to wear them on or near roadways.

In theory, perhaps, they increase the likelihood that a driver will see you when you're on a bike. In reality, they don't. If someone doesn't see a person on a bike in broad daylight, that person also won't see a person on a bike in a high-viz vest in broad daylight.

[Anonymous]

They definitely help a lot and I am so thankful my husband wears them, but I guess it is more for commuting at night which in the winter it starts getting dark at 5:00. I have completely noticed the difference especially when it is raining. I know these are teens, but wow I know a good amoung of people who have been killed while cycling!! Its not a joke and so glad my husband wears one.

[Anonymous]

I very much appreciate cyclists who are wearing reflective gear as a driver. It helps so much, especially in dim light and dark situations. Heck, I love it when people who are walking or running on the roads wear something that is visible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I very much appreciate cyclists who are wearing reflective gear as a driver. It helps so much, especially in dim light and dark situations. Heck, I love it when people who are walking or running on the roads wear something that is visible.

I think that, to evaluate the effect of bright-colored and/or reflective clothing, you really have to look at it from the point of view of the person who is walking/running/bicycling, not the person who is driving. i.e., not "I was driving and saw this person and didn't hit them," but rather "I was walking/running/driving and this person almost hit me."

Typically, in this county at least, pedestrian/runner/bicyclist visibility (i.e., visibility to drivers) is not the issue. It's very common for pedestrians and bicyclists to get hit while they're crossing in the crosswalk with a walk signal in daylight. It's also common for workers to get hit in roadwork zones, and they're all wearing vests/reflective gear.

[Anonymous]

*sorry, I meant "I was walking/running/bicycling and this person almost hit me."!

[Anonymous]

It is a good habit to wear something reflective and to activate the blinking light at all times because they help even when the light dims even a little--for example, on a cloudy day or at dusk, even when there is plenty of light to see.

I would also encourage you, when out driving with your DC, to point out bikes that are/are not more visible...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a good habit to wear something reflective and to activate the blinking light at all times because they help even when the light dims even a little--for example, on a cloudy day or at dusk, even when there is plenty of light to see.

I would also encourage you, when out driving with your DC, to point out bikes that are/are not more visible...

The blinking light helps because movement attracts the human eye. A blinking light doesn't make a bicyclist more visible, it makes drivers more likely to notice the bicyclist. (Assuming the driver is looking in that direction, not in a different direction, or at their phone.)

If you can't see a person on a bike in the daytime, including when it's cloudy, then your vision isn't good enough for driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a good habit to wear something reflective and to activate the blinking light at all times because they help even when the light dims even a little--for example, on a cloudy day or at dusk, even when there is plenty of light to see.

I would also encourage you, when out driving with your DC, to point out bikes that are/are not more visible...

The blinking light helps because movement attracts the human eye. A blinking light doesn't make a bicyclist more visible, it makes drivers more likely to notice the bicyclist. (Assuming the driver is looking in that direction, not in a different direction, or at their phone.)

If you can't see a person on a bike in the daytime, including when it's cloudy, then your vision isn't good enough for driving.

The high visibility color helps attract attention during the day and the reflective strips help drivers see at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a good habit to wear something reflective and to activate the blinking light at all times because they help even when the light dims even a little--for example, on a cloudy day or at dusk, even when there is plenty of light to see.

I would also encourage you, when out driving with your DC, to point out bikes that are/are not more visible...

The blinking light helps because movement attracts the human eye. A blinking light doesn't make a bicyclist more visible, it makes drivers more likely to notice the bicyclist. (Assuming the driver is looking in that direction, not in a different direction, or at their phone.)

If you can't see a person on a bike in the daytime, including when it's cloudy, then your vision isn't good enough for driving.

The high visibility color helps attract attention during the day and the reflective strips help drivers see at night.

Do you have any evidence to support that? I (an adult) have been on my bike on street corners, bedecked in lurid colors, at two o'clock in the afternoon on a sunny day, and drivers have still somehow managed to not see me. There are lots of things you can do, as a bicyclist, to reduce your chances of a driver hitting you, which are all more effective than a "safety" vest.

I agree that the reflective materials are good at night, and I do wear a vest with reflective materials and blinking lights when I ride at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a good habit to wear something reflective and to activate the blinking light at all times because they help even when the light dims even a little--for example, on a cloudy day or at dusk, even when there is plenty of light to see.

I would also encourage you, when out driving with your DC, to point out bikes that are/are not more visible...

The blinking light helps because movement attracts the human eye. A blinking light doesn't make a bicyclist more visible, it makes drivers more likely to notice the bicyclist. (Assuming the driver is looking in that direction, not in a different direction, or at their phone.)

If you can't see a person on a bike in the daytime, including when it's cloudy, then your vision isn't good enough for driving.

The high visibility color helps attract attention during the day and the reflective strips help drivers see at night.

Do you have any evidence to support that? I (an adult) have been on my bike on street corners, bedecked in lurid colors, at two o'clock in the afternoon on a sunny day, and drivers have still somehow managed to not see me. There are lots of things you can do, as a bicyclist, to reduce your chances of a driver hitting you, which are all more effective than a "safety" vest.

I agree that the reflective materials are good at night, and I do wear a vest with reflective materials and blinking lights when I ride at night.

Not all studies agree but quite a few find that hi-viz is significant: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cyclingweekly.com/amp/news/latest-news/what-is-the-evidence-that-wearing-hi-vis-clothing-makes-you-a-safer-cyclist-358674