Motorcycle Conspicuity

[Sherman]

It may be that the type of rider that would wear the safety colors also has a safer attitude that lessens his/her risk behaviour. Quantifing this would be very difficult. But I think there is an improvement in safety, maybe not all attributed to the colors. Radman may be correct.

There are counter points provide on the same website. Doubts

 

[Grumpy]

The "typical" motorcycle accidents are the same ones that the bicycle folks have. Both are caused by the cagers inattention to 2 wheel vehicles. The human animal sees by contrasts between object and background. Any improvement in this contrast improves the ability to be seen.....this certainly doesn't mean that "being seen" will happen, but it improves the odds. The best example of this is the "daytime lights-on" study that was done in Canada a few years back and the resulting number of automobiles that now had daytuime running lights.

Except for the vigilance and anticipation of the motorcycle rider, there is no answer for those folks who are too busy doing distractive "tasks" to look for other vehicles that they share the road with.

An additional help would be what many countries in the world have already done and that is to make communication via cell phone in a moving vehicle illegal. This is badly needed.

jim

 

[Silver Penguin]

I found this great article on MC safety.I hate to wear yellow, but it looks like that is the only way to go.

Article

Bet no one else here wears pale pink! I have an Icon jacket, which I wear with a white and pink helmet.

Jill

 

[HaulinAshe]

I've flown remote control aircraft competitively for many years. One of the things I learned many years ago is the effect of colors on visibility, judgement and depth perception. In fact, I was very successful using special combinations of colors to hide some areas of the aircraft while drawing judges attention to others.

Colors that typically do not appear in natural scenes below the horizon (blue, yellow, white, orange) definitely draw more attention. You can't honestly tell me that anyone doesn't notice a bright yellow car much quicker than a grey or silver or black one. As long as the typical cager colors are NOT those colors, then the bright blues, yellows, whites and oranges will both stand out against nature's background and surrounding cagers, more so than black, silver, dark red, etc. (many color blind people like myself don't really see red very well).

I don't need a government study to confirm it. But I do appreciate the link.

 

[Silver Penguin]

An additional help would be what many countries in the world have already done and that is to make communication via cell phone in a moving vehicle illegal. This is badly needed.jim

Although the use of cell phones while driving is a big problem, I believe that the bigger issue is general inattention. We have created a culture where it is socially acceptable to multi-task while driving, and it shows. Let's enforce the laws we already have on the books, about driver inattention. Save the coffee, shaver, make up, newspaper, GPS programming, CD changing, for while the vehicle is stopped.

Jill

 

[Sherman]

An additional help would be what many countries in the world have already done and that is to make communication via cell phone in a moving vehicle illegal. This is badly needed.

jim

Although the use of cell phones while driving is a big problem, I believe that the bigger issue is general inattention. We have created a culture where it is socially acceptable to multi-task while driving, and it shows. Let's enforce the laws we already have on the books, about driver inattention. Save the coffee, shaver, make up, newspaper, GPS programming, CD changing, for while the vehicle is stopped.

Jill

Yeah, and quit watching the pretty skirt in a pink jacket cruising by on the motorbike!

 

[Toecutter]

Why pass up a chance to stack the deck in your favor? So you can look cool? Whatever. I didn't think much of it when I ordered my apparel, but I will next time.

My next helmet will be white, and if I paint my bike I may make it look like an LEO rig. At least they'll move over once they see me on their tail. Don't think it will help with conspicuity though. Certainly won't make things any worse.

Eve's cousin, Curt, was crunched bad by a cager who turned into his path back when he was on motor patrol for the PD. He spent a week in a coma. Some years later, he saw a guy at an old evidence auction carrying around the helmet he was wearing at the time of the accident. The guy told him he just bought it and it was a CHP helmet. Curt asked him if he would sell it to him. The guy agreed, for twenty bucks. Curt then proceeded to tell him the story, pointed out the still blood-stained liner, and confirmed it because the helmet still had his name painted on the back. The guy thanked him and gave him his twenty back.

BTW, his son rides an SV650 and Curt just bought a GS1200. Big ups to him for not letting fear dictate how you live your life.

 

[Scythian]

I like to ride behind Grumpy. He wears that bright yellow Aerostich suit and has those flashy headlight modulators. Looks like a 800 lb. canary-on-crack coming down the road. All I have to worry about is...

1. Making sure I am close enough to be seen as a single unit.

2. How the hell am I ever going to get fast enough in the twisties to pass his ass!

Love ya Grumpy. Come back safe and soon from Germany. Can I borrow your suit???

Your favorite view, Jeff

OK, notice how the all black rider really 'pops out' against the light road background and the silver helmets, etc. tend to blend in?

It's the principle of 'relative brightness'--a camouflage concept that says 'differences in brightness are picked up by the human eye faster than differences in color'. So, even if you are wearing blaze yellow, but the background is bright you blend in more than if you wore flat black.

Besides, the eye is built to pick up a dark object against a light background--that's why we are reading dark words on a light screen....

'Cuz I ride in the SW against a bright background I choose to wear all black.

But really, it just doesn't make a difference; I asked my motor-cop friends how many time people pull out in front of them, or make left turns in front of them while they are riding with lights and siren. They told me:

"It happens all the time!"

Now if idiots pull out in front of cops with lights and sirens running, your bright jacket isn't going to do shit.

 

[Grumpy]

Scythian, I agree with eveything you say.

You ride in the great brown southwest where black against typical pavement or a brown background if the rider's not seen against the pavement and you get great negative contrast which the eye perceives quickly.

I ride in the great green southeast where the off pavement background tends to be green. I prefer yellow against green contrast.

A number of times I've had people start to pull out, then see me in yellow and with flashing headlights and slam on the brakes. I'm going to try and do everything I can to be seen so that perhaps I can avoid a crash?

However, your point is well made that regardless of what you do, some idiot is going to ignore you and pull out.

 

[Bearly Flying]

I would take their conclusions with a grain of salt.

According to the stats tables that They presented, Bikes with headlights on, had 3 to 4 times the number of accidents over No headlight.

So I'm a bit skeptical, if they can't see my headlight, they probably won't see my helmet.

 

[evil_henchman]

I would take their conclusions with a grain of salt.
According to the stats tables that They presented, Bikes with headlights on, had 3 to 4 times the number of accidents over No headlight.

So I'm a bit skeptical, if they can't see my headlight, they probably won't see my helmet.

I'd take that stat in particular with a grain of salt since there's virtually no bikes on the road with no lights on. But the point is well taken.

 

[Bull]

I like my Hi-Vis Darien.

I also like it's elbow pads - it's shoulder pads - and it's full length back protector.

If the bright shit doesn't help - hopefully the pads will.

 

[wallypiper]

I wear HiViz Aerostitch about 50% of the time, for commuting and running around town when its not broiling hot. When it gets very hot, I switch to jeans and a yellow Teknic textile jacket or a red Firstgear textile jacket. I know the jeans don't really offer any protection - its my compromise. I've never been able to find ventilated overpants that fit me.

For day rides or even a long weekend of pure backroad stuff, I switch to leather (gray Frank Thomas) which has no real visibility features at all but offers much better protection than any of the textile gear.

I certainly don't depend on even the HiViz stitch to make people see me. I know better than that. They NEVER see me. I could have flashing psychadelic bubble around me and the cager on the phone with 20 other things on his mind while he looks for CARS coming toward him will never see me. That's life on a motorcycle. But bright colors don't hurt and I could care less what the squid on the Gixxer thinks about the way my gear looks.

 

[feliz]

My helmet is all white. I was on a group ride one time, and it amazed me how you could pick out the white helmets in the crowd from so far away.

I second that. I noticed years ago how white helmets stuck out in a crowd and were the first thing you could see at a distance so I stick to my cheap geeky all white HJC. I have an Arai Alan Cathcart replica I wear when riding my Bonnevile and some accentric looking helmets for my Ural.

 

[Silver Penguin]

My helmet is all white. I was on a group ride one time, and it amazed me how you could pick out the white helmets in the crowd from so far away.

I second that. I noticed years ago how white helmets stuck out in a crowd and were the first thing you could see at a distance so I stick to my cheap geeky all white HJC. I have an Arai Alan Cathcart replica I wear when riding my Bonnevile and some accentric looking helmets for my Ural.

The white does seem to stand out. I used to wear all black riding gear, then got some leathers with white sleeves. DH said he can spot me much more easily in his mirror now.

I've also replaced my silver/gray helmet with a white one - with pale pink flames. It's distinctive and very visible. The pale pink jacket is pretty conspicuous too.

Jill

 

[epc71]

My helmet is all white. I was on a group ride one time, and it amazed me how you could pick out the white helmets in the crowd from so far away.

I second that. I noticed years ago how white helmets stuck out in a crowd and were the first thing you could see at a distance so I stick to my cheap geeky all white HJC. I have an Arai Alan Cathcart replica I wear when riding my Bonnevile and some accentric looking helmets for my Ural.

The white does seem to stand out. I used to wear all black riding gear, then got some leathers with white sleeves. DH said he can spot me much more easily in his mirror now.

I've also replaced my silver/gray helmet with a white one - with pale pink flames. It's distinctive and very visible. The pale pink jacket is pretty conspicuous too.

Jill

A riding buddy of mine wears a white helmet, he says that he gets mistaken for an LEO quite often.

I have to say, it does stand out.

As far as bright colors go, I think that they help increase the odds of being seen. I just don't put

alot of faith in the cagers seeing me. I still ride as if I'm invisible.

 

[Satori88]

Hein Gerick black leather I got back in the early 90's. Mid 90's the road burned 2 holes in it. Since I got the FJR I have put a yard of silver reflective tape across the upper and lower back as well as down the back of each upper sleeve.

 

[waldmana]

If I read the article correctly?, I think it concurred with radman -- conspicuity just didn't make much difference it their testing.

The article said this "Use of reflective or fluorescent clothing

Nearly 20% of control drivers were wearing some type

of reflective or fluorescent clothing. Drivers wearing

reflective or fluorescent clothing had a 37% lower risk

of crash related injury than those who were not

wearing such materials (table 2). When stratified by

ambient illumination (day, twilight, night), the protective

association seemed to increase with falling light

levels, although numbers were small at twilight, reducing

the precision of the effect estimate (see bmj.com)."

So it looks as though the use of reflective or fluorescent clothing made a pretty big difference in this study group.

 

[James Burleigh]

This stuff's always confusing. I think this is the way it works...[hazarded the philosophy major :blink: ]:

Let's say you have 100 M.C. riders in your study group and you want to study accident results. Your default presumption going in is that all the riders are exactly the same, meaning every rider has an equal probability of being in an accident.

Okay, so after the study period closes you find that, of those 100, 40 have had an accident.

Okay, so that's a 40% accident rate, which translates into the default probability that every rider had a 40% probability of being in an accident.

You begin to look at all the variables attendant to the accident and non-accident participants: type of M.C., rider age, rider gender, day or night, and of course, rider apparel--color, reflectivity, bad taste, Hawaiian shorts, tassels, Harley logos, t-shirts stating "If you can read this the bitch fell off, whatever....

If 20% of the participants wore "bright-colored, reflective" gear, then your default expectation is that 20% (on average, over time, blah blah blah statistical caveats) of the accident victims, or 8 victims (.20 x 40), would be wearing yellow Aerostitch's (or equivalent but of course there is no equivalent to an Aerostitch which is why I forked out $800 not including the back and hip protectors though I don't care how visible it is I just couldn't go with the yellow and besides I was riding a Harley at the time and anyway my wife said it wasn't cool).

Where was I...

But what you REALLY find is that only, say, 3 (or 3%) of the brightly-appareled riders had accidents. So you conclude that riders who wear bright apparel have only a 3% probability--or a 37% lower probability (40% - 3%)--of being in an accident. The "strength" of this correlation can be measured, and indeed they do point in the article to the R value or coefficient of determination or whatever the hell that thing is that I forgot from my statistics class.

Any statistics majors out there? Did I get that right? :blink:

As long as we're on the subject of accident research, here's a link to a couple articles I published in Friction Zone, analyzing 100,000 California motorcycle accidents that occurred over 10 years:

Rush-Hour M.C. Accident Statistics

Jb

:graduated:

 

[Silver Penguin]

James raises some good points but...... does any study take the false correlations into account?

Who is most likely to wear an $800 Hi-Viz Aerostich suit? I contend that it's the demographic who has the lowest accident potential. This is the guy who is willing to take the time to dress up like a dork to ride his bike. Safety and comfort trumps appearance. This is the guy who rides sober, with current training and up to date knowledge. Do you ever see a suit like this worn without a decent helmet? gloves and boots?

What would happen if we persuaded Mr/Ms 17yr old Squid to cover the tank top and board shorts with a Lime Green suit, before hopping onto that brand new R1 after a few beers? Would he/she then assume the risk of 'the-group-that-wear-green-suits'?

Just something to think about.

Jill