As someone who both bikes a lot and drives, seeing bikes in the city at night on a rainy day, with all the various lights, water reflections and loss of visibility from rain is a nightmare if they don’t use lights, or have poor ones. Hi-vis vests are a godsend, makes life easier all around.
What you’re saying is true, and when riding in those conditions I choose to wear a high-vis and helmet.
Nonetheless it is victim-blaming to make it mandatory (nevermind doing that in broad daylight). There’s always more that could be done ; clown hat, flashing lights, police escort, machine guns, F-35s. We have to draw the line somewhere, and if headlights are good enough for cars, they’re good enough for cyclists. Cars would also see fewer accidents if they were covered in high-vis paint, yet curiously no-one is arguing for mandating it.
Where I’m from, you are required to adjust your speed to visibility.
If someone has trouble seeing cyclists who have all the required visibility measures, they are driving too fast, or shouldn’t be driving at all.
It’s hard to see this as anything else but allowing drivers to drive faster at the inconvenience of cyclists, under punishment of a felony.
If someone has trouble seeing cyclists who have all the required visibility measures
That was the point I was making. Cyclists SHOULD be wearing/using all of these at night/in the rain, for everyone’s safety.
If you can’t see cyclists during the day in fair weather without them wearing a hi-vis vest, you shouldn’t be driving. I think we’re on the same page there.
Cyclists SHOULD be wearing/using all of these at night/in the rain, for everyone’s safety.
Wouldn’t it make walkers and animals less safe because they’re not wearing them and motorists will be looking for hi-vis instead of ordinary people and animals. It might make motorists less safe too, because fallen trees and shed loads won’t have hi-vis on but hitting them will still kill some drivers and passengers.
It doesn’t take a moron texting and driving to run into a cyclist… morons can be distracted or stupid for any reason. As I said, can’t trust anyone behind a wheel. Just saying it how it is.
It’s a safety precaution, like bike lights and seat belts. It’s better that people take precautions. I’ve worn a hard hat on job sites for years because it’s Union mandated for safety.
Funny, the job site comparison is also in the article:
Cannon said: “In every other hazardous environment, particularly workplaces, we apply an internationally recognised hierarchy of controls: eliminating danger where possible, engineering risks out of the system and separating people from hazards. Only as a last resort do we rely on personal protective equipment. On our roads, we invert this logic entirely, skipping straight to: ‘Be visible’ and ‘Watch out’.”
tbf people should be wearing all of those things… should never trust anyone behind a wheel.
You do be wearing your full body armor then yes? Because where is the line?
Don’t answer me because it’s rhetorical.
Feels like blaming the victim to me.
Why don’t drivers put their phones down? They’re the one running bicyclists over, not the other way around.
That’s not victim blaming, that’s being sensible.
As someone who both bikes a lot and drives, seeing bikes in the city at night on a rainy day, with all the various lights, water reflections and loss of visibility from rain is a nightmare if they don’t use lights, or have poor ones. Hi-vis vests are a godsend, makes life easier all around.
What you’re saying is true, and when riding in those conditions I choose to wear a high-vis and helmet.
Nonetheless it is victim-blaming to make it mandatory (nevermind doing that in broad daylight). There’s always more that could be done ; clown hat, flashing lights, police escort, machine guns, F-35s. We have to draw the line somewhere, and if headlights are good enough for cars, they’re good enough for cyclists. Cars would also see fewer accidents if they were covered in high-vis paint, yet curiously no-one is arguing for mandating it.
Where I’m from, you are required to adjust your speed to visibility.
If someone has trouble seeing cyclists who have all the required visibility measures, they are driving too fast, or shouldn’t be driving at all.
It’s hard to see this as anything else but allowing drivers to drive faster at the inconvenience of cyclists, under punishment of a felony.
That was the point I was making. Cyclists SHOULD be wearing/using all of these at night/in the rain, for everyone’s safety.
If you can’t see cyclists during the day in fair weather without them wearing a hi-vis vest, you shouldn’t be driving. I think we’re on the same page there.
Wouldn’t it make walkers and animals less safe because they’re not wearing them and motorists will be looking for hi-vis instead of ordinary people and animals. It might make motorists less safe too, because fallen trees and shed loads won’t have hi-vis on but hitting them will still kill some drivers and passengers.
It doesn’t take a moron texting and driving to run into a cyclist… morons can be distracted or stupid for any reason. As I said, can’t trust anyone behind a wheel. Just saying it how it is.
It’s a safety precaution, like bike lights and seat belts. It’s better that people take precautions. I’ve worn a hard hat on job sites for years because it’s Union mandated for safety.
Funny, the job site comparison is also in the article:
I suppose pedestrians need hi-viz jackets, too. And a siren on their head.
Put hi-viz jackets on squirrels and deer, too.
Put a warning sign on every tree.
Or, you know, hold drivers accountable for their actions instead of letting get away with literal murder.