Officer, I did not see him!

[Red Brown]

Howdy TWTeronians,

We all have heard that a good 30 percent or more of MCL accidents involve an rider under the influence....obvious

Most of us have also heard about the famous “Hurt Motorcycle Accident Studies” that came around the early 80s. He took motorcycle crash data from the late 70s and early 80s and tried to create a detailed report on causation and other factors involved. Most of the stuff isolated from the Hurt report was put to good use in MSF classes etc. Hurt and his staff talked to everyone they could at the scene of the accident, in patrol cars, and at the hospitals. His final report was called “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures”.

His conclusions are extensive but in today's terms are meaningful. I know there are exceptions which some folks call “Act of God” etc. but in typical riding on streets ¾ of all accidents involved collision with another vehicle. About ¼ of these accidents were single vehicle accidents involving a bike hitting a roadway object or some fixed item on the roadway. In todays terms since they Hurt report was published, it seems ½ of accidents are with another car and the other ½ with an fixed object. This shift might be caused by increased awareness of drivers of bikes, better reflective gear and perhaps lights on most of the time due to Federal laws.

Having said that we can all improve our cornering skills, learn traffic patterns, yielding concepts, which takes time and practice....ok...the OTHER “half” of preventable accidents is due to inconspicuity. The simple remedy is wear bright helmets, jackets, hyper lites, brighter front lights or perhaps headlight modulators.

Having said that, why do almost all the riders I see wear grey or black jackets/helmets etc that blend in with the roadway? I would think increasing your safety factor with these easy to do solutions would be obvious.

Red

[kurt]

My jackets are gray and black, but the Darien has a reflective stripe. My helmets are bright yellow and it seems to make a big difference in the way people see me.

[TexBiker]

I wear a yellow Shoei helmet and neon yellow Olympia AST jacket. I look like a radioactive circus clown, but that only works if the drivers actually look before they turn/change lanes/etc.

[dukey33]

Black/grey riding gear hides dirt well.

Most folks (me included) don't clean a riding jacket near as often as the bike gets cleaned, yet they are both equally coated with road grime. If jackets weren't black, they'd get that way by the end of the riding season.

I can attest to how dirty my yellow/black JR Reactor and blue/white JR Stingray jackets get. Of course, the white helmets are easy to clean.

[Squeaky]

Can you see Jeff? Can ya? Hmm? :rofl:
(Just funnin' with ya. I like black gear because it's slimming - so it's all got reflective bits.)
http://sparkyphotog.smugmug.com/photos/126402963-M.jpg

[Manfred]

When I was in college, I rode a purple Suzuki T-500 that had a white Vetter II fairing. I was wearing a purple & gold letter jacket and a purple helmet. In town (Stillwater, OK) on a sunny day, at 25 MPH: a lady taking her poodle for a trim turned left as I was crossing the driveway to the puppy boutique. I tried to run up the driveway faster than her but she ran into my beautiful bike - at very slow speed. I jumped onto the hood of her car and grabbed the windshield wipers and glared at her through the windshield.

The look on her face was priceless. The cost of repairing my bike, prices out at about $100; which she paid gladly.

The moral - riding a bike makes you invisible. Ride in such a way as to not allow the cages to prove the 2nd law of physics.

[wonder91178]

Honestly, I don't think that color has anything to do with it. I think your average cager either looks "through" you to the next vehicle, or past you, regardless of the color of your gear.

At least, that's been my experience with cagers and gear.

[1TallTXn]

I suspect that bright colors (hi-viz yellow for example) help, but just cause you have those, don't think you can let your guard down, they still don't look for ya.

That being said, a couple months ago as I was coming down 67, I passed a group of riders going the other way, all had full gear on (BMW's mostly) but the guy I saw first was riding at the back of the pack with his (I think) Olympia AST in Hi-Viz color scheme.
I always look for bikes, but I saw this guy over a mile away. thats even out of my normal range!

I would be wearing a Hi-Viz AST now if I hadn't stumbled upon the Belstaff that fit me better

[Stook]

Howdy TWTeronians,


Having said that, why do almost all the riders I see wear grey or black jackets/helmets etc that blend in with the roadway? I would think increasing your safety factor with these easy to do solutions would be obvious.

Red
Well, I am one of those with a black bike (Tiger) who wears all black gear (sometimes) and neon blind you if you look at me gear other times (e.g., Icon Hi-Viz lime green vest - makes me look like a motorcycle cop from a distance). I also sometimes wear a Hi-Viz yellow FirstGear mesh jacket with black overpants. I don't know for certain that any of the hi-viz stuff helps, but I'm confident that it doesn't hurt when it comes to being seen.

My point is that I really think the times you are most likely to interact in an unintended manner with a larger vehicle are times when nothing you wear or do is going to make much difference. If a driver is changing lanes or making a turn while distracted, they are not going to notice you if you have wrapped yourself in a string of blinking Christmas tree lights. Cars do run into other cars, after all, and most of the time when they do the excuse is still "I didn't see the other vehicle." So the "I didn't see him" thing doesn't just apply to cars running into US.

I make it my job to watch out for "them" since I am convinced there is not all that much I can do that gives me confidence that "they" will see me.

[wever411]

My point is that I really think the times you are most likely to interact in an unintended manner with a larger vehicle are times when nothing you wear or do is going to make much difference. If a driver is changing lanes or making a turn while distracted, they are not going to notice you if you have wrapped yourself in a string of blinking Christmas tree lights. I make it my job to watch out for "them" since I am convinced there is not all that much I can do that gives me confidence that "they" will see me.

This is especially true when the person driving the car doesn't even turn their head to look at their blindspot, like the lady did yesterday when she switched to my lane while I was still in it. I was paying attention so I was able to move out of the way in time. When did people start thinking that they can see everything in their mirrors?

[Chirpy]

I'm surprised that TxMedic didn't mention those bright yellow boxes with lights and sirens on them still get hit by blind cagers.

I ride very defensively. In fact a long ride in traffic will wear me out from the paranoia. I prefer the boonies.

But a buddy just picked up a reflective vest, and that's probably worth thinking about.

[Ghost Rider]

This week I will make a short video. I will approach the camera with what may be considered a standard jacket, and with the stock lights. Then I will make a second pass while wearing my Hi-vis vest and have the PIAA driving lights on and use my Hyper-lite brake Auxiliary lights when I pass.

It will be interesting to compare a moving object and note the contrast if any. What I would like to suggest to fellow riders is modifying the physical signature of their bike. NO... not your physical signature, so this not a free pass to eat a second Big Mac. Giving your bike more physical references helps others see you, judge your closing speed, and possibly realize they are getting too close. On Monday I made the first commute wit the Hyper-lite. Each time I applied the brake cars gave me more room. At each stop light the cars stopped further back than prior to installing the lights. Same results today. I should not that I make my morning commute in the dark, with a late afternoon commute with the sun at my back.

[ulric]

..well to be honest there aren;t a lot of...stylish, leather jackets that are bright and highly contrasting colors.

I currently have a black/grey rain jacket..with reflective stripe acros the shoulders.. but I added some white reflective adhesive Tape, essentialy a basic 'mean mug' to the back.
Hyperlites on the front sides and in the exhaust cover.

Trying to find something decent and relfective to go on teh back of the leather jacket too.

[MP Simmons]

I go with red at shoulder area as to not sop up maximal radiant heat in the Summer. Black leather is the strongest / most abrasion resistent, white the weakest.

[BMWbabe]

This week I will make a short video. I will approach the camera with what may be considered a standard jacket, and with the stock lights. Then I will make a second pass while wearing my Hi-vis vest and have the PIAA driving lights on and use my Hyper-lite brake Auxiliary lights when I pass.

I'm looking forward to seeing your movie. I'd sacrifice a lot of aesthetics to be more visible but they just don't make the hi visibility as accessible. Having gear in which to ride is paramount, having reflective gear would be perfect.

Each time I applied the brake cars gave me more room.

This is not the first time I've heard this. I'll be glad to get mine installed when they come in.

[wonder91178]

I had the BackOff module on my ZR-7S so that my tail light "blinked" when Squidward and I were rearended by the minivan last year......I found that if the cager is looking up at the lights, rather than forward at the traffic, they will still hit you.

Anyone tried spelling out "DON'T HIT ME" in reflective tape on the back of their jackets? :lol2:

[BMWbabe]

anyone tried spelling "DON'T HIT ME" in reflective tape on the back of their jackets? :lol2:


:lol2:

I liked "occupado" personally ("this space is occupied" is too wordy)

[bluedogok]

Honestly, I don't think that color has anything to do with it. I think your average cager either looks "through" you to the next vehicle, or past you, regardless of the color of your gear.

At least, that's been my experience with cagers and gear.
I think that is pretty accurate, one observation from the survey crews that I used to work with is they had more close calls when they had their hi-viz vest on than without. I think many people see those and target fixate on them and inevitably head that direction.

I ride like I am invisible and expect everyone to get in my way.

[sherob]

I notice having a topbox with a brake light on it helps... sorta like a car setup which is what most drivers are looking for these days, third brake light up high. Most MC lights are lower... smaller than car/truck brake lights. On the ST and my Wing, the topbox has a spoiler with a brake light in it... hit that brake a couple of times and they see it. Adding Hyperlites will help, think about where you're going to mount them so they will be seen easily. I've seen them mounted low on license plate frames... you need them higher.

Another thing I've noticed too... the size of the bike also has changed how drivers react to me. On my ST... pull right out in front of me... running HB's and PIAA 1100x's on the forks :doh: On my Wing... they sit and wait... maybe they are affraid it'll cut thru the car :rofl:

I wear a Motoport hi-viz yellow/green kevlar mesh jacket... the only people that notice it are the fashionista's at Wally World :doh:

[ulric]

Been thinking of getting some obnoxiously (bright) colored, sleeveless short...
Putting velcro on the back and make 'signs' with reflective tape, that I can swap out as the mood strikes me.

:-)

How about rie around with an old
ski vest.
'Bike will explode in impact'.

..of course there would be one idiot that would have to try it...

[Squeaky]

All of the reflective tape I've found was too stiff to sew onto fabric. Anyone know where I can get some of the fabric kind if I wanted to add some to my jacket? I'd kinda like "Keep back 400 feet" or something...

[bluedogok]

Sew-On & Heat transfer tapes (http://www.identi-tape.com/refl-fabric-gateway.html)

SOLAS Sew-On Tape (http://www.identi-tape.com/solas.html)

[Ghost Rider]

As promised the videos are posted. They can be found under a new thread called Standard Vs. HiVis Comparison. Just four short clips to try and respresent what might be seen out on the road.

[DaveC]

. About ¼ of these accidents were single vehicle accidents involving a bike hitting a roadway object or some fixed item on the roadway. In todays terms since they Hurt report was published, it seems ½ of accidents are with another car and the other ½ with an fixed object.

This week on Braker Lane ( a major connecting road 3 lanes each direction) I saw a yellow bagged phone book (semi fixed) in the wheel track of the center lane and in the west bound lane I saw the lid of an Igloo (moving slick spot that can also be a projectile) in the wheel track of the right lane. I try to make it a point to eithe rbe the last one through a light or the first. If I am last I can ride slower if I am near the front I can get past the cages and have clear views of the road ahead.