So I wear Hi Viz....

[stevent]

So I wear Hi Viz, a bright yellow helmet and ride an orange bike and I still have cagers trying to hit me......

Do I need to go to Dental College and get some loud pipes next?????????

 

[Mr Sunshine]

You need to change how you ride and your expectation.  HiViz doesn't do anything if they just plain aren't looking for you.

[miles]

+1.  Hi-Viz is a lie.

[jetnc1]

Ride like your invisible.

[et]

I wear an all Hi Viz Aerostich Roadcrafter, a Hi Viz class II safety vest, and an all Hi Viz full-face helmet.
Yes some people still pull out in front of me, change lanes into me, etc ...
BUT not as many as when I wore black leathers.

Remember; some people get hit by trains because they didn't "see" the train.
Some people just don't even bother to look and/or are just down right stupid.

[DrD]

See my sig line on gorillas. It is called inattentional blindness. Get used to it, it is here to stay.

[Spiffious]

That way the people that see you will target fixate on you.

[Hardware]

I wear an all Hi Viz Aerostich Roadcrafter, a Hi Viz class II safety vest, and an all Hi Viz full-face helmet.
Yes some people still pull out in front of me, change lanes into me, etc ...
BUT not as many as when I wore black leathers.

Remember; some people get hit by trains because they didn't "see" the train.
Some people just don't even bother to look and/or are just down right stupid.

From friends & acquaintances who work as paramedics & firefighters - far too many cagers don't see big cube van ambulances or bright hi-viz yellow fire trucks - with all lights and sirens activated!  Be as conspicuous as you can but realize there are mouth-breathing retards out there who may as well have their heads literally up their own butts for what they're aware of around them...

[tdeboeser]

+1.  Hi-Viz is a lie.

++1

Be conspicuous.  Do things like try and make eye contact...

[servicerifle]

So I wear Hi Viz, a bright yellow helmet and ride an orange bike and I still have cagers trying to hit me......

Do I need to go to Dental College and get some loud pipes next?????????

 

Not saying that it doesn't happen to me, but may I guess that you stay in one place in the lane, with even speed, and rarely draw attention to yourself in traffic?

It is my personal belief that a lot of folks, particularly hi-viz folks, seem to think that being a good motorcyclist is staying steady in one lane, merging at the same rate as cars, occupying the far right side of the road or lane, and basically being inconspicuous.

I have found that "hooning it up" (as much as is legal) will get you enough attention to lessen these events.  I don't ride "in town" a lot but when I do, I move in the lane quite a bit, and especially when I see anyone in a turn lane or driveway.  I will move in traffic in a far different (and usually more aggressive/quicker) manner than a car would.  I like to say that I'm "using every advantage provided by a motorcycle to the fullest extent of the law."  Believe me that will get you some attention, and if you're doing it right, you will not be there long enough to actually annoy anyone. I also have a loud horn and play an inconsistent beat to get their attention.  "Shave and a haircut, two bits" seems to get lots of attention.

Go ahead and say "you give motorcyclists a bad name" but I think it's a safer way to ride.  To not draw attention to yourself in an effective way is to not even give us a "name" at all, as we are truly "nobodys" on the road then.

[servicerifle]

Yup, and I said that (and it will likely fall on deaf ears).  I think the hi-viz crowd is particularly deaf to this kind of talk.  All due respect to StevenT, the hi-viz folks are my least favorite types to ride with.  They just freak me the fuck out.  They occupy the wrong lane (far right), at the most unsafe speed (exact speed of traffic), and hardly move.  I'm not gonna volunteer myself to be road-burger if I can help it...I'll see ya at the turn off.

[sammyseaman]

 

[ray916mn]

Meh.

Hi-Viz isn't a panacea, but all things being equal it certainly beats low viz or camo.

On the street, channeling your Lady Gaga or Dennis Rodman in drag in a key to being safe. Taking center stage is probably the most critical aspect of being noticed, but being brash, loud and visible helps too. Of course unlike Lady Gaga or Rodman, some moderation may be more socially appropriate ....

[bomber]

I agree that moving in a steady and predictable manner makes you even less likely to be noticed . . . . I, too, diddybop back and forth in my lane, stand on the pegs needlessly from time to time, and sing Broadway show tunes at the top of my lungs.

Establishing eye contact is interesting advice -- and I would believe in it, if I hadn't had numerous folks seemingly look me in the eye while pulling out in front of me  . . . . . (or, maybe they object to my singing "I Feel Pretty?")

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Yup, and I said that (and it will likely fall on deaf ears).  I think the hi-viz crowd is particularly deaf to this kind of talk.  All due respect to StevenT, the hi-viz folks are my least favorite types to ride with.  They just freak me the fuck out.  They occupy the wrong lane (far right), at the most unsafe speed (exact speed of traffic), and hardly move.  I'm not gonna volunteer myself to be road-burger if I can help it...I'll see ya at the turn off.

That's a mighty broad brush you're using there  

[blueridgerider]

Servicerifle:

I agree with you to a point.  I do think you need to be active in your visibility as well as passive (active being your actions/placement on the road passive being visible gear).

I read a good motorcycle safety article a few years ago where it said the more you were one color the better.  Snce then I've worn a yellow helmet and jacket to go with my yellow bike  (not high viz).  It is just anecdotal of course but I have experienced fewer vehicles impeding upon my space by either pulling out or trying to pull into me.  

I also think actively seeking to be seen is a good part of my safety arsenal.  I move around in my lane depending upon the situation visibility.  If I need the intersection traffic ahead to see me I'll move to the right.  If I need oncoming traffic to see me I move to the left.  I constantly move around so I can see every vehicle possible.  If I cannot see them they have no hope of seeing me.

[SuperHans]

Yup, and I said that (and it will likely fall on deaf ears).  I think the hi-viz crowd is particularly deaf to this kind of talk.  All due respect to StevenT, the hi-viz folks are my least favorite types to ride with.  They just freak me the fuck out.  They occupy the wrong lane (far right), at the most unsafe speed (exact speed of traffic), and hardly move.  I'm not gonna volunteer myself to be road-burger if I can help it...I'll see ya at the turn off.

I don't need Hi-Viz, I ride like an asshole so everybody notices me.

[stevent]

Well it was actually more of a generalized rant than a request for advice....I appreciate the comments none the less

I've ridden in all black leather, red textile riding jackets and Hi Viz or more to the point, Hi Grunge thanks to our frequent rain. I think over-all the Hi Viz helps though I don't "rely" on it, nor do I sit in one place, eye's locked forward and matching traffic speed. I ride daily, usually pick the left lane and at least 10 over and never ride in blind spots, the thing that pisses me off is the drivers that don't even look before changing lanes or at the most a minimal cursory glance in the general direction of their side mirrors.

I accept the fact that they are brain dead morons and that they, and their entire families including pets  should be euthanized to protect the gene pool, however that's not really practical so it's incumbent on me to get out of their way. Still fucking annoying

[servicerifle]

That's a mighty broad brush you're using there  

Tough shit?  

Or, said another way, "the hurt dog yelps?"


Sure, maybe it's a broad brush (hence the "tough shit" remark) but I didn't get that stereotype from someone else...I have observed it myself, over and over.  There will always be exceptions to the rule, the albino deer or the person who zigs when everyone else zags, but the hi-viz folks, on the whole, do not draw attention to themselves, ironically.

Servicerifle:


I read a good motorcycle safety article a few years ago

Not to bring religion into this, but the same fallible human race that believes that other fallible humans have clarity to know and say who or what "god" is, are the same fallible humans that write articles.  I've written a few myself.  Doesn't make me, or anyone else, any more right.  I'm not anti-hi-viz, but the riding style that is typified by the average hi-viz rider is not conspicuous, in my opinion.

I don't need Hi-Viz, I ride like an asshole so everybody notices me.

To summon Yoda, "Need or not need, I did not say."

I did say riding like an asshole gets you some attention, and isn't that the topic?

[Mrs. DantesDame]

words

It would appear that someone pissed in your Cornflakes this morning