Black????really????

[OakLeaf]

What 7rider said.

I've said it many times before here, but it bears reiterating. I wear hi-viz for two reasons.

First is for the people who ARE paying attention. If you've driven an automobile and come up on bicyclists, you know that you will see the ones in hi-viz about a half mile ahead, where you may not be able to see the ones wearing colors that blend in until you're a couple of hundred yards behind them, and it may not register that they're actually human road users until you're much closer. That just isn't enough time to plan at 65 mph, and it's barely enough time to brake or swerve. My being visible is courteous to good drivers, allows them to drive more smoothly and less stressfully, and allows traffic to flow better.

Second is why I call the gear "Exhibit A," as 7rider said. If a jury has to wear sunglasses to see what's left of my jersey, there's more hope that the automobilist won't be able to get away with "I didn't see her."

Of course I'm responsible for my own safety, always, on foot, on bici, on moto (and in a car as well). But it doesn't make sense to me, to deprive automobile drivers of the ability to see me and drive safely around me.


(It's a whole 'nother story on the moto where I have the opportunity to get out of trouble by twisting the throttle, as well as the opportunity to stay out of trouble. But the distinction between bici safety and moto safety, and target fixation vs. safe driving, is for another thread...)


Also, I'm sure it's different for urban riders, where speeds are so much slower, and things like intersections and parking lots force automobilists to expand their field of vision slightly. I don't think I'd worry much about visibility if I were riding in the daytime in urban areas.


Edit one more time ... FHWA and OSHA require hi-viz apparel for workers in highway rights-of-way. That's good enough for me.

[Crankin]

I love black and dress in black or grey almost all of the time, in my "regular" clothes." That said, I only have one piece of black cycling wear (on the top). It's a winter piece, long sleeved, thermal jersey that zips up. It has red and white reflective accents on it. I've only worn it in the day time, in bright sun a couple of times. Most of the time, it's been worn under my screaming yellow jacket. My other jerseys are all kinds of colors.
I too, have noticed many commuters with no lights, or only a horrible reflector at dusk. Most of them are young people or older people, "invisible" cyclists, etc. I see them on my way home from the city I am working in for my internship, which has a large immigrant population. No helmets, either. Going the wrong way. But, I also see this in Cambridge, which has a huge cycling population, commuters, who zip through very heavy traffic, in street clothes, with no lights. Yes, it is brightly lit on the main streets, but I am sure they go into residential areas to get home. Around where I live, most of the commuters have lights, but they could have more/better ones.
When I ride in the dark, I have a bright headlight, a very bright rear blinkie and a blinking ankle band on both legs, as well as a reflective vest. One day, when I was coming home from my before work ride, DH was going to get bagels and saw me, in a pretty dark corner of my neighborhood, He said I was extremely visible, so I guess it works.