Be safe - be seen?

[STRAMASHER]

Originally Posted by TheOnlyNemesis

i find a good trick is to stick some metal to the back and drag it along the floor, people see the sparks from miles away

I miss the joy of having a centrestand.

Loud can, loud horn, high revs, lots of finger and arm gestures have kept me safe so far..

Touch wood...

Originally Posted by boot

+1 for defensive riding.

Assume they haven't seen you, and that they think those mirror thingies they have are for looking at ones self, not the road/view behind.

A good tip I've adopted is, after dark, upon seeing a car waiting to turn out from a juction, gently weave in your lane, so your headlight won't be mistaken for one of the car's headlights behind you.

I do the weaving thing too, find it works well.

Also, I wear a high-viz HG jacket, still new and still very bright but if I am approaching a junction and think the car might pull out I make sure to lift the head from behind the bubble and puff out the chest - no point wearing high viz if you are crouched down and no-one can see it.

I have noticed that cars shift out of my way a lot quicker with the new jacket (used to wear high-viz vest over leather jacket), am wondering if some of them are daft enough to think I am a copper.

Oh, and if you are overtaking a series of cars and one is towards the centre line blocking you, I find that moving to the centre of the lane, so that they can see you/me in their rear view mirror, normally gets them to shift in - Am convinced that the majority of car drivers rarely use their wing mirrors. A simple wave of thanks on the way past then makes the world a better place.

PS. Very impolite to get noticed (not afraid to use the horn), very polite once noticed.

Maybe get a (de-activated) RPG and strap it across your back? That might make them take notice.
Otherwise, make sure you pay more attention so they don't catch you by surprise.

I'm not convinced the hi-vis stuff works.

Reflective detailing yes, but hi-vis is only really hi-vis in the daytime.

Hi-vis is not self luminescent, therefore, as with reflective detailing, to be seen you'd have to be subject to the lights of the vehicle, which would mean they can see your headlight anyway.

I think the best option is seriously bright (but keep it legal) headlight bulbs. The brighter you are, the more likely it is they'll slow down, as it's harder to see.

Also, bear in mind that it's more difficult to judge speed at night, so that solitary light could easily be mistaken for a much slower push bike, and that an uneven road surface can make it look as though you are flashing your lights (which we all know means "I am here", not "Please pull out and splatter me").

People look but don't actually see. I've lost count of the number of times pedestrians have made eye contact and then stepped out, and then subsequently had a humiliating for being so farkin dumb.

[G]

Originally Posted by boot

I think the best option is seriously bright (but keep it legal) headlight bulbs. The brighter you are, the more likely it is they'll slow down, as it's harder to see.

Frankly that is stupid...ridiculously bright lights do my head in, like you have said its makes it harder to see, and thats ****ing dangerous.

There is a couple of bikes that ride around the ring road and a back road on my commute home whom ride with their main beams on permanently... its bloody stupid.

If you want to be seen ride a mixture of defensive and aggressive riding... and always just assume no one has seen you.

Anyone thought whether single headlights on a bike make people think BIKE .... I've considered removing the bulb from one of the SVS (dual) headlight .... wonder if people take it as a car in the distance ??

When looking to overtake, or filter .... I take my time to ensure the car in front has seen me ... most cars move over (if only a little) once they've seen you .... then its go .... if I'm there for more than about 30 secs, and no movement - a flash of full beam down their door mirror makes them move over .... friendly wave once past ..

As before .... patience, patience, patience .....

[ophic]

Originally Posted by LK-SV

Anyone thought whether single headlights on a bike make people think BIKE .... I've considered removing the bulb from one of the SVS (dual) headlight .... wonder if people take it as a car in the distance?

One reason I went for the faired SV is that it has 2 lights lit on dips and main beam. Looks nothing like a car, distant or otherwise, and prevents the bike being masked by a closely following car, when you can see one bike light and one car light, and it looks like its just a car.