Be Seen

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #910353
    Dirt
    Participant

    T’is the season to NOT be seen by drivers. Commuting early in the morning means that we all need to be very good at making ourselves seen. We are rarely as visible as we think we are. Please put out the extra effort to be seen. We can blame others for resulting crashes, but if we haven’t done everything we can, we’re contributing to the problem.

    Here’s what works for me:

    Lights front and rear. Flashy in back and front along with a more powerful headlight to see by.
    Reflective bands on wrists and ankles.
    Reflective tape on helmet, bike frame and on the wheels. I put some on my shoes too. When I was riding the recumbent, I put reflective tape on the soles of my shoes. It got noticed many times.
    Reflective clothing if possible….

    I don’t wear a reflective vest. I probably should. I haven’t found one that I like. I know that is a lame excuse. I need to get over that.

    The newest addition to the collection?

    6127145566_c78a286f84_b.jpg
    Embrocation Cycling Journal high-vis gloves made by DeFeet. Today was the first day I wore them. I had 8 people comment on them. If people are commenting on them, it means they can see them. Plus they have a cute coffee pot on the back.

    What works for you?

    Pete

Viewing 3 replies - 31 through 33 (of 33 total)
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  • #930521
    jrenaut
    Participant

    I got scared the other day when I was driving and lost a cyclist I had just passed. He was riding at night with no lights and I was actively looking for him and couldn’t find him as I came up to a traffic light. If someone who bikes in the city nearly every day couldn’t see a cyclist that he was actively looking for and knew was there, how in the world is your average driver going to?

    #930532
    KLizotte
    Participant

    @jrenaut 8561 wrote:

    I got scared the other day when I was driving and lost a cyclist I had just passed. He was riding at night with no lights and I was actively looking for him and couldn’t find him as I came up to a traffic light. If someone who bikes in the city nearly every day couldn’t see a cyclist that he was actively looking for and knew was there, how in the world is your average driver going to?

    This is one problem I have with the CaBi bikes (their dynamo lights are weak and the bikes don’t have any reflective striping except the wheel rims). Downtown DC night CaBi riders are less of a problem because of all the street lights but Arlington can be quite dark in many parts and people are driving faster since there are fewer traffic lights.

    #930534
    jabberwocky
    Participant

    Several years ago I had someone pass me on the W&OD in the winter, sans lights. As he passed, I asked if he usually ran without lights in the dark, and he said something like “yeah, I’m only going a few miles”. A mile or so later, I came across him and another rider sprawled in the middle of the trail. No-lights guy apparently couldn’t tell what lane the oncoming rider was in (oncoming rider had lights) and swerved into his path at the last minute and they hit each other head on. Fortunately nobody was injured. Some people are idiots.

Viewing 3 replies - 31 through 33 (of 33 total)
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