Visibility, Are You Being Seen?

Willsmotorcycle

Willsmotorcycle

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Joined
Oct 26, 2020
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2,017
Location
Makefield Highlands PA
Bike
2016 ST1300P
2025 Miles
000545
First this is a placemark, I haven't figured out how to formally do this test. Second, someone here may already know about ones performed, please post.

The thoughts running around in my head have to do with a video camera situated on a busy street corner at car driver eye height. Rider drives by in traffic wearing a "colored" jacket, helmet, comes back around and passes camera again wearing a different color, repeat. Which colors allow the cars to see the rider sooner? Would the color of bike matter, seat height, just helmet, any difference in grey or black? These are just some random thoughts. If i had someone to run the camera I probably would have a few colors checked off. What say ye ( or is it see ye)?
 
Conspicuity-wise, I'm sure you can easily pick me out in this photo even at a distance, compared to the other bikes.

pict2575.jpg

These days, although I'm on a much less visible bike (all black), I make sure my clothing is still as conspicuous.

94FE74D5.jpg
 
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I have lived through the introduction of several 'safety improvements' over the millennia. Headlight power, size, location. Tail light growth. Side markers, side markers with turn signal flashers, side marker color. Rear view mirrors. Third brake light. Brightly colored vehicles. Polite horns, authoritarian horns. Brakes. Steering. Proximity indications. Multiple forms of traffic signage. Larger traffic lights. Flash speed warnings. Crosswalks. School zone markings. Misc roadway markings. For bikes....larger bikes, larger lights, brighter lights, better brakes, much better handling, loud pipes, colorful clothing.......

I have come to the conclusion that safety improvements are permitting the vapid to complete long lives instead of weeding them out at an early age. They are reproducing at an alarming rate.

Be alert to your surroundings, drive to maximize your visibility to adjacent drivers with clothing and lane position, Yield to the hazard even when inappropriate, move in a manner that attracts attention, ride out of hazards posed by others. Personally, I ride to minimize the chance of bending my bike. Sometimes excess speed is a solution.....'Sorry, officer, I can't afford to be the speed bump', has worked every time.

You can be riding an open pipe bright hot pink bike, standing on the seat stark naked, ablaze from head to toe, shouting the lyrics to 'Yellow Rose of Texas' off-key thru a loudspeaker and some a$$*&)e will not see you.
 
White helmets are visibly better than any other color, even bright yellows. There's so much fluorescent colors on roadside advertisement signage now drivers tend to filter that out. White round globes don't usually exist in nature, other than snowmen, and they don't often coincide with motorcycle weather.

Bright vest, jackets, motorcycling lighting can only help as well, but most should know that. You're usually from one of two camps: "I want to be seen for safety" or "I want to blend in, hide and be indistinguishable from others to avoid "problems.""

Your camera test would need to be vetted thru photo viewers who were not told what to look for, but just asked what stands out in each of these photos. You looking at them would tell you what items stood out in your mind, but not necessarily those drivers who are still pulling out in front of transport trucks because they "didn't see them."

Like Oldbikefixr said, be alert and ride like you are invisible to everyone else, because you might just be!
 
Car - motorcycle collisions are usually caused by the car drivers inattention to his/her surroundings. There are a lot of distractions in a cage, radio, phone, passengers... It behooves us as motorcyclists to pay attention, and wearing a white helmet might help a bit, as does conspicuity lighting.
 
I think Obo has it pretty close to correct- white helmets are the single largest improvement in conspicuity, with lighting being the second best. I personally like headlight modulators, and any other legal lighting tricks that will make me more visible to people who are, at the best of times, not really paying attention to what they are doing while speeding down the road in tons of steel.
 
Similar studies have been done by people versed in the methodology that may provide repeatable results in the world we live and ride in. Here's an example done in New Zealand:

Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study - PMC

Objective To investigate whether the risk of motorcycle crash related injuries is associated with the conspicuity of the driver or vehicle. Design Population based case-control study. Setting Auckland region of New Zealand from February 1993 to ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Increasing conspicuity to motorists is a tool in the rider's toolbox along with other passive and dynamic tools. Wearing high-viz can decrease risk especially used in concert with riding skills and lane positioning. It does not eliminate risk - people get hit by trains and collide with fire engines despite colors, lights, and sound warnings.
 
I had the yellow amber running
Lights that were on when ever i had my low beams on. People really didnt like them but they got out of the passing lane and clearly knew i was behind them. When they were coming at me, im certain they saw me way before they saw my headlite.
also, i had a led blinky blinky brake lite on the rear. Worked like a charm!
i did a lot of boston riding and these two improvements were worth every nickel.
 
Pop-Pop said:
I had the yellow amber running
Lights that were on when ever i had my low beams on. People really didnt like them but they got out of the passing lane and clearly knew i was behind them. When they were coming at me, im certain they saw me way before they saw my headlite.
Click to expand...

I get lots of comments about my yellow Zmoons on the forks, even from other riders. They all say they stand out, which was the goal!
 
I have found that when a car is pulling out in front of you from a side street and you jam on the brakes the headlight moves down and the car will see you and stop where they are. Most of the time right in front of you. So when I see them on the side of the road I move the bike side to side in the lane to provide some movement that they can see. I think this works.
 
I think visibility options will be similar to oil and moly paste threads. Everyone has a strongly held opinion and feels they are right.

I use a hi vis jacket and helmet. On the ST I had a headlight modulator I used at intersections and in other scenarios where I was concerned about visibility. With the Tracer I use the passing switch to flash the headlight as required and just installed yellow running lights. I haven't been able to find an LED headlight modulator. If someone knows of one please let me know.

In the last 21 seasons I've never had anyone turn left in front of me, no close calls. This must mean I'm 100% right, so just follow my advice and you'll be fine. :)
 
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