Ah so you were then in violation of the requirement to carry a warning triangle, and should have been fined
(In reference to the new French rule that requires you to have a Breathalyzer tube in your car. If you are pulled over they can make you blow in the tube to prove you have not been drinking. However, you are then in violation of that rule, and can be charged with not having a breathalyzer tube. So you have to buy 2 at a time, just in case)
Only the Spanish require 2 Warning Triangles, at the moment.
The SO who does all the bike commuting doesn’t like flashy rear lights, just solids. There’s a study somewhere says they attract drunks, who get mesmerized and drive towards them instead of avoiding them.
I take it you also never turn on your headlight either. Now all we need is to get you one of those electric motorcycles (in black of course) and you be invisible and near silent speeding along at over 200 mph!
When I was in the Navy, the rules for riding a motorcycle were:
[ul]
[li]Full helmet[/li][li]Full length pants[/li][li]Leather boots[/li][li]Reflective coat or vest w/ >100 sq.in. of reflective material[/li][/ul]
I’d look into the frequency with which drunk drivers plow into police cars parked on the side of the highway with all of their lights flashing (as during a traffic stop).
“Target fixation.” Pretty much anything that holds a driver’s attention will often result in them steering toward it. If they are inexperienced or impaired, it is worse. I take my little dog to the off-leash park in a basket on the back of my bike. It is noticeable that more drivers pass closer than I’d like when she is with me. It was the opposite when I used a trailer to haul her and her buddy…it was a kid trailer, so people would initially assume there was a kid in there, and give me more space.
I still use the blinkies though. My commute takes me through several school zones, and the drivers tend to fixate on the crossing guards, so I have to compete for their attention. The guards often make it worse by waving appreciatively at the “attentive” drivers.
I would recommend thinking twice about those helmets. Bike helmets are not designed to last forever. One impact and they are supposed to be discarded. Even without an impact they deteriorate from sweat and sun, and should be replaced after 3-4 years depending on how much riding. If you buy one with a built-in light, it may be a waste unless you can detatch the light and put it on a new helmet later. The lights will outlast the helmet.
However, I have seen some bike seats with red lights built into the back of them - may be better investment.
Re: florescent colors - I have noticed in the last couple of years a lot of running shoes with bright colors on them. They have always had some reflector fabric, but some of the soles are coming out with bright orange, green, and yellow (or chartreuse).
I am a dedicated scooterist (Aprilia Scarabeo 150 & Vespa PX 150) and I won’t wear the floro crap. It is not my style. And style is important. I can’t believe it would make much difference anyway. If other drivers can’t see my silver scooters with the headlights on (they come on automatically when the engine is running) I don’t know why they would see a hideous yellow vest. Like sisu said, as a motor cyclist, assume you are invisible. Expect other drivers to do the stupidest thing they could possibly do. Like stop at an intersection, look right at you, then pull right out in front of you. If I were more concerned with staying safe than living life, I wouldn’t ride at all.
But to the OP’s question - it seems like the floro gear is becoming more common.
The built in lights are just some cheap red flashers on the rear straps. There is a mount for a clip-on blinkie on the back, and a blackburn flea headlamp on the visor…so those can (and in my case did) be moved to a new helmet when one is worn out or crash damaged.
The world is full of “silvery” (silver, light gray, white, etc) things - cars, signs, buildings, etc. The world is also full of bright white things. A white light on a silver scooter just doesn’t show up that well. Fluorescent yellow/green, on the other hand, are not often seen on the road, and they are almost always on things car drivers don’t want to hit.
In 2009, the Marine Corps stopped requiring personnel to wear reflective vests. Why? Because the 36 motorcycle fatalities among Marines in the preceding year and a half were all wearing reflective vests. 2007/2008 was a record year for accidents and reflective vests did not seem to help at all.
Many Army bases are following suite for similar reasons.
You two would be much more likely to “not die” simply by riding defensively, and obeying all traffic rules. If the vest gives you a false sense of security and makes you feel better, go ahead and continue wearing it. Its a personal choice after all. But it isn’t keeping you alive.
That quote makes it sound like the vests are decidedly dangerous things, given that all of the fatalities were wearing them.
Given that the vest was a requirement, weren’t the thousands of uninjured, unkilled Marine motorcyclists also wearing it? The alleged ineffectiveness of the vests would have to manifest as “no change” in number of fatalities compared to a control group of riders who didn’t wear vests. In fact, that control group, ideally, would be composed of otherwise identical riders, i.e. Marines (as opposed to civilians, who may have different attitudes and/or training).
Can you provide a link to the study confirming your assertion? Surely there are also followup stats that show no change in fatality rate after the vest requirement was eliminated.
As an avid bicyclist, I protect myself first and foremost by being very defensive. I intently watch and anticipate any and all vehicles that will cross my path, and audibly track the location and trajectory of vehicles approaching from behind. I am also one of the “good” bicyclists who obey traffic lights and signs whenever possible. Nothing amuses me more than to see the surprise on a drivers face when I actually stop at a four-way intersection!
As for passive defense… I have a DOT grade red reflector on my back pack*. The helmet I have also has white prism reflectors built into the webbing in the back. If it is somewhat dark, I have single-LED lights front and back. White on the front, red behind, usually ran solid. For “advanced” darkness (thanks, Spongebob) I have a bright multi-LED “spider” tail light and a multi-LED headlight. The headlight actually does a good job of lighting up the road ahead, though I’ve considered getting a brighter one, or possibly a second one for pitch black conditions. Finally, I have one bright green LED “comet” light on each wheel. They are SUPER visible, to the point that the ground is lit up when they are closest to the ground.
*My back pack always goes with me. My helmet goes in it and my bike lock comes out of it when I reach my destination. I also keep those multi-LED lights, bike tools, a mini pump, a rain poncho, and a first aid kit in there. I am one (dorky) prepared dude!
I think of it as not only sensible, but also kinda cool. It’s kind of like tricking out my ride, I guess.
