Visibility

[the Ferret]

Coming from the Highway Traffic Safety field for the last 25 years before I retired, I knew how effective Hi Viz is when it comes to protecting highway workers by making them visible to other motorists. It's good stuff. A life saver! As a motorcyclist I have always been a slave to fashion though. In recent years I had noticed how much more easily seen motorcyclists wearing Hi Viz were on the street and how far away you could see them. Had been considering a Hi Viz jacket but already had a closet full of jackets. What to do with them? I started wearing a Hi Viz safety vest from the Highway safety biz but it was loose, and flapped in the wind and although better than nothing not an ideal vest. I must say Guth's vest in his avatar and the few pics of him he has posted inspired me and I admired his dedication to wearing it. So for Christmas I asked my wife for an Olympia Blaze Vest, a form fitting vest that could be worn over top of the coats I already had. I am really happy with this vest. Ultra visible, form fitting and adjustable for fit.

Hi Viz Olympia vest over black and silver jacket



Hi Viz Olympia vest over black leather jacket

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20Jan%209%202016%20047_zps27h9u1vu.jpg.html]

and as you can see in these photos, I also switched from wearing nothing but black helmets, to wearing a white helmet. The white helmet and Hi Viz vest make for a very visible combo. Yea I'm probably not as cool looking as I was before (vanity is such a cruel mistress isn't she?) but I feel safer and at my age safety is starting to take priority over looking cool. I'd like to think the Fonz would be wearing a Hi Viz vest at his current age lol.

Here is a link to the Olympia vest. I've searched but they seem to be the same price everywhere, and this is where I got and paid for mine. A bargain IMO. It's like I got 9 Hi Viz jackets for $80.

[url=http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/olympia-blaze-hi-viz-vest]http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/olympia-blaze-hi-viz-vest

when it comes to parking in a lot, I employ all 3 of the techniques listed above depending on conditions..I will park on the yellow stripes by the handicap slots, I will park with the back of my bike at the rear of the slot even with the back of the other cars and I will park out in the open all by myself and walk.

[emptysea]

I have been parking my bike across the back of the stall when I have to park in a stall. I figure that folks are less likely to run into it if the entire flank of the bike is visible to the driver. Also, it's easier to exit the spot. With two bikes, I try to stagger them with one in the front right and the other in the rear left of the stall. I figure that the rearmost bike would be more visible to cars coming from the right of the stall (the typical flow). I reverse this if the traffic is coming from the left.

Looking for a high viz vest. Thanks for the tip, ferret/guth

[Rocky_imp]

Good choice ferret. I have one of those too for those times I might wear a leather jacket. Many of my buddies are now wearing them.
I too have a closet full of leather and textile jackets. Oh the pain of it all

[redbirds_imp]

I like the high-viz colors, jackets and helmets. The bright colors grab the attention of fellow drivers I think (unless they're rapt in a text). Night reflective clothing is also a good idea. My Mercury jacket has reflective material and "lights up" in the lights of other traffic.

[4 Paws_imp]

Hi Viz is a good choice. Never under estimate how distracted a cager is. Got to be an optimist to ride a bike.

Lots of close calls in the grocery store lots so I either grab a prime spot at the front of the row or park well away and walk, exercise is a good thing - in moderation.

Gave away my black textile mesh jacket this summer and bought a silver/white one with lots of reflective qualities after my wife told me I was invisible in front of her while riding in a bit of rain, and she knew I was there.

Those reflective tire rim strips are calling me!

[Chapomis_imp]

I just bought my first hi-vis gear the other day. I was mainly looking for a helmet (I have always liked Redbirds Nolan) and the store I stopped in had huge sale on most everything. They had a hi-vis Ikon that was on the shelf so long it had 5 stickers piled on top of each other. The bottom sticker was $220 and I got it for $80. They also had a hi-vis summer weight mesh coat with armor that I grabbed for throwing on during tourist season on the Cape, but I also like the idea of having a vest.

Ferret ? Because you wear the vest over other coats, how did you find the sizing to be ?

[the Ferret]

My wife was behind me the other day right at dusk on a perma gray day and mentioned how visible the vest was. It also has reflective material on it.

on another note I am still doing "the weave" (going on 3 years now) as I approach cars about to turn left or pull out of a side street and am convinced by the way the drivers look at me as I ride past (some even nod or wave) that it is a sound practice that has helped keep me safe.

Chapomis Olympia says they are sized to be worn over a jacket. I'm short, weigh about 180 and wear a large jacket. I got the M/L vest.I wouldn't want it to be any smaller but there is still some adjustment room to let it out with 3 Velcro belts on each side. I would say if you are border line between sizes, like wear a large in some things and an xl in other things, get the XL vest.

[Catbird_imp]

When riding, I wear a white helmet and a yellow Hi-Viz jacket or vest.

The all-black attire, some riders wear, looks "cool", but the risk of not being seen by inattentive car/truck drivers isn't worth it to me. YMMV.

[AzBob_imp]

Yah,

my guess is that when a bike is parked too deep in the spot, from their vantage point, a driver might assume the spot is empty and just swing into the spot and WHAM.

Dollars to donuts that's what happened in the above unfortunate scenario.

You owe us some doughnuts. Turns out its a freak accident involving two other vehicles. The one that hit the bike was turning into the spot next to the bike when he was hit from behind by another vehicle, which pushed the vehicle into the bike and rider. It wasn't a 'traditional' parking lot but rather angled spots on a street.

All the visibility in the world wouldn't have helped in this case; sometimes it's just bad luck. The gentleman's head and chest were pinned between the vehicle that hit him and another parked vehicle and he couldn't breathe. His helmet saved his head from being crushed.

[Chapomis_imp]

Not that I am a total slave to fashion, and I prefer my riding gear to be free of logos and graphics, but I think the hi-vis vests would look less DPW-esk if they did have some graphics on the back. Something the opposite of a skull and crossbones, maybe a re-cycle symbol ?