Effect of Bike/Gear colouring on visibility

[Xander]

After the many powerful images people have recently posted on PSB about what can happen when things go wrong, I`ve been thinking. Often accidents are caused by someones else`s `mistake` and alot of the danger on the roads is due to cagers either not seeing or ignoring us. How can we increase our visibility and enjoy a safer ride?

Something which sprang to mind was colouring of jackets / bikes / helmets. Certain colours are proven to attract more attention than others. For example dangerous and poisious animals often have bright yellow/ red / orange markings as it signals danger and warns other creatures to stay away. Whereas many flowers use the same colours to again attraction attention but in the opposite way.
CocaCola use red as their signiture colour because of a similar principle. Likewise some car colours are more visible on a black road than others.

Now of course there will always be cagers who look directly at you before pulling out and cutting you off, even if you were wearing a bright orange flashing neon jacket with laser beams coming out of your helmet.

But as someone who is newly in the market for a jacket / bike and still has complete selection choice I`m wondering if colour worth taking into consideration. Surely there is a difference in visibility between a black rider and bike compared to a yellow kitted one.

What are your thoughts on the most effective biker colours? Have you read any articles about this topic? Any personal experiences?

[rudleo]

visibility is always a good argument but if u just ride like every fkn cager is out to kill you.. hopefully u'll never hav to get in a "sorry i didnt see u" situation...

in a lot of cases even if you were wearing a bright-fluro yellow jacket with pink and purple polka dots.... the fuckers still probly wouldnt see ya...

[Rich]

Running with your theory...

Black is know as the Bad colour...Bad people wear black, well it used to be like that...

But dressed all in black on a black bike, it can make them think not to fuck with you..

You know the cages that look at you then pull out? They will think twice before trying that shit if you are all black...

[CitizenD]

Hi-vis is just harder to get the blood out of when they "don't see" you.

[Bendito]

i was discussing this with someone not long ago.
I have a black jacket which may not be quite as visible during the day, but the reflective striping on jackets is surprisingly bright at night. So whatever you choose, make sure it has the reflective piping on it.
I think your road positioning is a much bigger factor anyway.

[Ice]

Like S4R said... Surprisingly people DO notice riders in all black.

Colour makes no difference to the people that are really the problem... the ones who don't look to start with. Doesn't matter how visible you are if they aren't looking for you in the first place. I'm sure some colours are more visible - but the people who actually look will see you anyway.

You'd think white would be pretty obvious - Wearing a white jacket on a white and red bike I was told I stood out... And yet cars hit me twice.

Road position, situational awareness and concentration are far more important. You'll be better with all of those if you're comfortable - so I think it's far more important that the gear is something that fits and you like it.

[Eukanuba]

I've seen high viz orange wet weather gear... stood out like dogs balls.. that's something I reckon is essential in seriously poor weather..

As for my riding gear, I've got a pretty distinctive orange shoei.. anyone who know's me knows the helmet.. which is a good and a bad thing

[Ice]

Oh - wet weather is different - even the people who are looking sometimes don't see you then. +1 for the hi vis orange... it looks ridiculous, but if people can think how ridiculous it looks... they obviously saw it!

[Para045]

Get HID headlights it makes it very hard for them not to see you with them on

[lee]

The less gear you wear, the better you're going to be in an accident. It's statistically proven. You wear gear, and cagers will wreck it just because you spent money on it, and you'll break your spine anyway. LIBERATE YOURSELF, MY BROTHERS.

[Ice]

We you Lee!

[Scoundrel]

You'd think white would be pretty obvious - Wearing a white jacket on a white and red bike I was told I stood out... And yet cars hit me twice.[/b]

Now I read something in one of those Eric Ienasch (sp?) books about that - something to do with white (and browns, black and grey) being one of the primary urban background colours or some such. Still doesnt explain how a stupid cager totally missed the red colouring though <_<

When its pissing down, especially on my way home from work and its dusk or getting pretty dark, the high-viz yellow jacket w/reflective stripes goes on. Its waterproof too which is a bonus.

EDIT: this book:

[Mr John]

Running with your theory...

Black is know as the Bad colour...Bad people wear black, well it used to be like that...

But dressed all in black on a black bike, it can make them think not to fuck with you..

You know the cages that look at you then pull out? They will think twice before trying that shit if you are all black...[/b]

Nice theory, didn&#39;t work for Blackdeath though. Big bloke dressed all in black on a big black bike, had cage drive into him on a clear dry day.

[Jonchilds]

People who are fashion blind won&#39;t see those who dress smartly.
People who aren&#39;t, won&#39;t give a fuck if you&#39;re not fashionable.

I almost ran over a scooter dude in my big-ass, white, falcon wagon with both headlights on cos he didn&#39;t look before pulling out of the emergency lane on the freeway.
If people don&#39;t look, they wont see.

[Rob]

Helmet = invisible

[Pete]

Helmet = invisible[/b]

Bingo.

[Pkunk]

non-withstanding most bikes are rather bright colours...

[vbroom]

Black is know as the Bad colour...Bad people wear black[/b]

turboR1 .

[Sventek]

Since my bike (along with quite a few others, apparently) seems to have been fitted with a Klingon Cloaking Device, I don&#39;t think it matters...

[thro]

I&#39;ll go with the idea that it doesn&#39;t matter a shit what colour you&#39;re wearing.


I swear, heaps of people who pull out SEE you just fine.


Their brain just doesn&#39;t register bike=i need to give way.


And it doesn&#39;t matter a shit what colour you&#39;re wearing if they don&#39;t head check or use mirrors.

There&#39;s a big bright headlight on the front of your bike, if they can&#39;t see that they won&#39;t see a little bit of fluro vest or whatever that&#39;s partially obscured by your screen or whatever anyway....