Hitchcocks Forum

Scaly visibility study.



Firstly, I'm not trying to force your opinions, but I feel this is something that we should all at least consider...



Having now checked various opinions and sources, I have personally come to the conclusion that the "must do' rule of having your bike headlamp on for visibility during the day, may in fact; actually be counter productive.



For many years, it was in the biker's bible of survivability. "Be seen, ride with your lights on." Sometimes, realising that I had started out without my headlamp on, I would be annoyed at myself and try and enforce the idea of remembering to check before selecting 1st. gear. We all followed this rule, as I always did up until last week.



Now, various people, some of which should be respected, including a motorcycle instructor, have reassessed the safety aspect of day-time headlamps, with some surprising and; quite frankly; worrying results?



I am posting this for your information, make of it what you wish, but personally, it seemed sensible and logical. It came from the web!


Daytime Headlights for Motorcycles



The majority of studies have shown there is no statistically significant safety improvement of motorcycles using headlights during daylight, and in fact many indicate that daytime headlight use may reduce safety. The original studies, when almost no vehicles used daytime headlights, showed that a motorcycle was more likely to be seen due to the “novelty effect”. Now that the use of headlights on many vehicles is commonplace, there is no longer such an effect.



The use of headlights reduces safety in a number of areas:


* Observers tend to under-estimate the speed of a vehicle approaching them with headlights on, compared with over-estimating the speed of a motorcycle without lights.



* As many two vehicle accidents involving a motorcycle are caused by a car under-estimating the speed of the motorcycle and pulling out in front of the motorcycle, daytime headlights are likely to increase the likelihood of this type of accident.




* The position of a motorcycle with lights is more difficult to determine. The confusing effect of white lights was well know and used by fighter pilots during the 1939-45 war. If another road user is confused about the position of a motorcycle, the chances of an accident are increased.




* A light vehicle such as a small motorcycle coupled with the sharp cut of point of the dipped beam on modern lights means that an uneven road surface can cause the illusion that the motorcycle is flashing its headlight. As many road users understand the flashing of headlights as “I am giving way”, the potential for a collision is high. We have experienced one instance of this happening before the motorcycle had even completed 500 miles.





I took the following pics in the twilight when you would normally have your lights on anyway, but I wanted to see how well the high viz worked in low light conditions. There is a no vest, light on photo for comparison.




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The light becomes less bright as you move toward the side of the bike.






A high viz vest is bright all the way round and if you drive during low light or at night, the stripes light up in a car's headlamps at any angle.
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Either way, this could do with further study, but personally, I use the high viz with no daytime lights. Of course, I use the lights when conditions are foggy, rain, low light or at night, Just not during the daylight hours normally.



Seems to have worked so far, but what do other think?

High Vis, will always be better. Many new cars have lights on in daylight, cannot judge speed of oncoming traffic with lights on, "is he flashing to let me go", sun is low , its only a poxy scooter, did not see him gov., so what was wrong with the old flouro. cover ?

I tried this in Spain; I suspect that the hi viz vest is so effective because people do a double take - thinking you may be a police bike!

Personally despite being a member of MAG I ALWAYS were a reflective jacket when on a motorcycle.
In my opinion having a dipped headlight on is as much use as a chocolate spanner. A pair of lights widely set on the bike are FAR more effective, it is the narrowness of motorcycles than makes them vulnerable, anything that make them look wide is effective. Wearing dark clothing and a dark helmet and you are to all intents and purposes invisible.

My wife used to own a Honda Nighthawk grey import that had dual filament bulbs in the front indicators so there they were permanently lit except when the indicators were used. That made the bike very visible from the front.

A few days ago I am certain my reflective jacket saved my life, a car drove out of a gateway too close in front of me to even think about braking BUT the driver very obviously saw my jacket and stopped about halfway across the road.
It was a narrow gateway which meant the car would normally have to use all of the road to get out.

I did find out that my Electra X (ish) on 19 inch Continental knobblies will go from scraping the right hand foot rest to scraping the left hand footrest in a very short distance. (On coming traffic.)
It did prove one thing to me despite being 66 years old and not in the best of health I still have very fast reactions.
I did come very close to utilising my underpants liner though.

Papasmurf,



I agree with most of that except for the wide spaced lights.



Although they do help you to be seen, they are better suited to places with street lighting or other incidental illumination, where a driver will first see the lights and then see the bike they are attached too. In country lanes where there is no lighting other than the moon, a driver seeing the wide spaced lights, will see just that. You want them to think it is a motorcycle that may be close to them, they will imagine a car which will look further away than you are, due to the light spacing.



All depends where you mostly ride really!





I want a high viz jacket with blue stripes! Am I allowed one of those?

The wide spaced lights comment is the result of research finding it is the narrowness of motorcycles that makes them "invisible." A pair of day-light running mounted as widely as possible is what it states on the tin, for daylight running, not night time.

PapaS,

I'd like to comment on "despite being a member of MAG" - it is not wether or not you do or don't wear hi vis or ride with your lights on it's about been able to make up your own mind on such matters. Your post implies all MAG members and MAG are against such practices - they are not, it's complusion that is the offensive bit.

My post implies nothing of the kind, I was merely making my personal position clear, I am also member of NABD, although I have modified my Electra X (ish) myself to cater for my disabilities.

Papa, I read it that way and just in case anyone else read it that way I wanted to make it clear.

It's hi-viz for me,but it does need to be passed through a washing machine now and then. Or simply replaced, they're cheap enough.