Last summer I was cycling on the 1000 Island Parkway (an off-road cycle path, along the St. Lawrence River) and saw a group of cyclists about 500 metres in front of me. I could not tell how many there were, even though they were  coming towards me. The lead cyclists and the last cyclist were wearing bright yellow (often referred to as screaming yellow). The remaining four cyclists were wearing a variety of colours from blue to red. It got me thinking about hi-vis and cyclists’ safety. Should we, as cyclists, be wearing screaming yellow jerseys and/or using flashing lights. It wouldn’t matter on an off-road path like the 1000 Island Parkway, but on the road should we be as visible as possible. Hi-vis clothing, reflective clothing, flashing front and rear lights.

I started to look into the research that has been done regarding hi-vis and reflective clothing and this is what I have found.

A Danish study in Accident Analysis & Prevention found cyclists who use flashing daytime lights had 47 per cent fewer collisions with other road users. A UK Study suggests that hi-vis clothing and flashing lights may help drivers to spot cyclists earlier. A Canadian Study indicates that visibility aids have the potential to increase visibility and enable drivers to detect pedestrians and cyclists earlier.

A study in the United States had participant identify when they saw a cyclist depending on what colour clothes the cyclist was wearing. The outcome of this was that it was the contrast between the background that made the difference as to when the cyclist was spotted and if the cyclist was moving. The disadvantage of this Study was that the participant was looking for the cyclist.

The studies also informed about hi-vis and reflective clothing. Clothing that has reflective strips are more noticeable at night or in diminished light. Although often the reflective strips are not big enough to be useful. Hi-vis is not as noticeable at night. (See diagram below).

The Canadian study showed that fluorescent materials in yellow, red, and orange improved driver detection during the day; while lights, flashing lights and retroreflective materials in red and yellow, particularly those with a ‘biomotion’ configuration (taking advantage of the motion from a pedestrian’s limbs), improved recognition at night.

What did surprise me with these studies that during low light it is the movement of the cyclist that is detectable. For example, if the cyclist is wearing reflective/hi-vis clothing on their legs/ankles the motorist recognizes them quicker than if they are only wearing a reflective/hi-vis jacket.

Front and rear flashing lights are also an important tool for cyclists. During the day the rear lights should be flashing, at night it is suggested that two rear lights be used one flashing and the second not flashing. I have a Varia rear light – this has several flash options that I can program. However, most importantly this piece of equipment tells me when a car is coming up behind me. It shows on my bike computer when a vehicle is 150 metres  behind me. As the vehicle approaches me it flashes faster. With a bit of luck if the driver had not seen me prior, the faster flashing of the light will catch the drivers eye and will then maneuver around me. I also have a mirror on my bike and I can see if they are moving over or I will have to take the ditch!

All of this begs the question then why are cyclists, joggers and pedestrians not wearing reflective/hi-vis clothing or using lights all the time?  One of the comments from a UK Study was that of victim blaming. If a cyclist is hit by a motorist and not wearing hi-vis, the excuse is I didn’t see him, thereby it was the cyclist’s fault, not the car-driver who was not paying attention to other road users.

I am of the opinion that cyclists and joggers should wear clothing that is highly visible. I almost always buy screaming yellow jerseys and jackets. I very rarely ride at night. Yes, I do look a dork if we are on a tour and have to wear a screaming yellow jacket at night or on our rest days of the bike. At the very least Ralf can see me in crowd.

Is it a false sense of security? There is no doubt that there have been times where a car driver has pulled out in front of me or made a turn in front of me and I scream I am wearing bright yellow how come you cannot see me and then a few not very polite words after that. I do believe that if a car driver can see me in plenty of time, they should have enough time to maneuver around me, giving me space.

Driver reaction times can vary widely, but several studies find that for a driver to perceive an unexpected object, recognize it and act (either to slow the car or steer it away from the object) typically takes about 1.25 to 2 seconds.

In a stationary world, two seconds might seem pretty fast—but a car going 50 kph (30 mph) will travel at least 15+ metres (55 feet) in those two seconds. Ramp the speed up to 80 kph (50 mph), and the car will travel a third of the length of a football (soccer) field before the driver can even move his foot to the brake pedal. And it’s imperative that action happens in those two seconds: a 2016 study in Sweden that measured how drivers pass cyclists on open roads found that most start to steer around the rider roughly 1.5 seconds before the vehicle reaches the rider. The math points to an unsettling conclusion: under normal conditions, if a car is coming at you and the driver doesn’t notice you, he won’t react in time to avoid a collision.

Worse, those reaction times are for an undistracted driver. Consider that it takes about four seconds to unlock an iPhone, which at just 50 kph (30 mph) equates to almost the entire length of that football (soccer) field.

As the UK Study concluded:

“The research suggests that it may help drivers to spot pedestrians and cyclists more readily, but there was no evidence by how much and it was impossible to say whether that made them safer, as spotting them was one thing and driving safely around them another.”

Be safe, be seen, and be aware of road users who have seen you but don’t know how to safely pass a cyclist.

When it comes to safety, grabbing as much attention as we can, as early as we can, remains our best bet.