*** SOBS *** Why I recommend yellow lights!

[The Spin Doctor]

I know I keep telling you about Science Of Being Seen (SOBS), and I keep mentioning my live webcasts, but there's a reason - so many riders seem unaware just how invisible they are on the road.

Bill Robinson - who took one of my ONLINE COACHING courses earlier this month - sent me a short video clip of an incident he'd had when riding his bike. I've asked for permission to re-use the clip because I think it's incredibly informative.

Pending that permission, I've snipped a couple of stills and I'll be talking about the issues of night time visibility later this morning in ELEVENSES - which is, oddly enough, going out LIVE at 11am.

If you can't catch it then, I do suggest you find a few minutes to view the section of the show either on FB or over at YouTube - I'll post the links later.

The still photos from the video will help me explain why adding more or brighter WHITE lights isn't the answer to improving nighttime conspicuity, and why I recommend YELLOW lights not just to differentiate ourselves from other vehicles in daytime against white day running lights but also why they have been shown to be effective at night in built-up areas.

So watch ELEVENSES this morning, and then sign up for:

DECEMBER LIVE ONLINE - 'SCIENCE OF BEING SEEN'
SOBS is a 40 minute talk about the twin issues of
human visual perception and motorcycle conspicuity,
why conventional hi-vis clothing and day-riding lights
have proven less than successful at preventing
junction collisions. Discover how to use Survival Skills
'proactive measures' into your own riding.
WEDNESDAY, 1 DECEMBER 2021 AT 20:00
Tickets cost £5.
Book at: http://thq.fyi/se/012097de78a5

[Trinity765]

I bought myself a Weise Vision jacket last year and on my first outing with it, on a shady avenue, national speed limit, a car pulled out in front of me. We were the only traffic, it was a straight road and the driver sat at the junction for a while so I assumed that they were waiting for me. At the last moment they pulled out and I managed to slip between the car and the curb. It was the closest shave I've had for sometime.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/424587

I don't indicate much - for turns, yes, but not when overtaking. A friend did some advanced riding with the police this year and he was told to use his indicator for overtaking and when my friend asked why he said because blinking, yellow lights stand out. So I've adopted this now - signalling when overtaking - not because I giving information but because I'm simply more visible.

The Weise jacket only really works at night - I think I may even blend in more with the background in some conditions - as above.

[Rockburner]

I bought myself a Weise Vision jacket last year and on my first outing with it, on a shady avenue, national speed limit, a car pulled out in front of me. We were the only traffic, it was a straight road and the driver sat at the junction for a while so I assumed that they were waiting for me. At the last moment they pulled out and I managed to slip between the car and the curb. It was the closest shave I've had for sometime.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/424587

I don't indicate much - for turns, yes, but not when overtaking. A friend did some advanced riding with the police this year and he was told to use his indicator for overtaking and when my friend asked why he said because blinking, yellow lights stand out. So I've adopted this now - signalling when overtaking - not because I giving information but because I'm simply more visible.

The Weise jacket only really works at night - I think I may even blend in more with the background in some conditions - as above.

All the bright lights and flashing in the world can't help if they simply aren't looking.


I'm not saying that you shouldn't use them, but the mental state to be in is "oh good - the bulbs are working ". NEVER assume you've been seen.

[Dodgy69]

Driving standards of many really are shite. Just nipped out to Wickes and following a car on the way home, it was all over the place, phone, heater, satnav, music, who knows. I think some drivers have just got more 'important to them', things on their mind, than driving their car with due care and attention. Not much we can do about that I afraid.

[slowsider]

Not much we can do about that I afraid.

We can drive with that in mind

[Cousin Jack]

Driving standards of many really are shite. Just nipped out to Wickes and following a car on the way home, it was all over the place, phone, heater, satnav, music, who knows. I think some drivers have just got more 'important to them', things on their mind, than driving their car with due care and attention. Not much we can do about that I afraid.

I was out last week around school pick-up time. You have not really seen bad driving until you see Mums on the school run.

[The Spin Doctor]

The Elevenses show with the segment including the two stills - which really are quite shocking - can be watched here:

[The Spin Doctor]

I bought myself a Weise Vision jacket last year and on my first outing with it, on a shady avenue, national speed limit, a car pulled out in front of me. We were the only traffic, it was a straight road and the driver sat at the junction for a while so I assumed that they were waiting for me. At the last moment they pulled out and I managed to slip between the car and the curb. It was the closest shave I've had for sometime.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/424587

I don't indicate much - for turns, yes, but not when overtaking. A friend did some advanced riding with the police this year and he was told to use his indicator for overtaking and when my friend asked why he said because blinking, yellow lights stand out. So I've adopted this now - signalling when overtaking - not because I giving information but because I'm simply more visible.

The Weise jacket only really works at night - I think I may even blend in more with the background in some conditions - as above.

TBH I wouldn't choose to wear one of those during the day - their raison d'etre is for riding at night in urban areas when conventional retro-reflective material doesn't really work because lights are aimed too low to pick it up. These 'ghost jackets' function because they pick up a lot of light scatter and 'glow' - they are surprisingly effective under street lighting.

Re a blinking yellow light when overtaking... whilst I don't disagree with the idea of providing information, I always start to worry when I hear people - even police - arguing that "lights help you stand out". A flashing indiator MIGHT be seen (though there are plenty of reasons it might NOT be seen, not least because bikers nearly all have headlights on and indicators aren't always as visible as we might think) but ask yourself: WHAT'S THE POINT of being seen? If the intent is to tell the driver ahead not to pull out themselves or to turn right, then should we be overtaking there in the first place?

I've talked in the past about my 'stealth' approach to riding I developed when I was a courier - my aim was to glide through traffic, not expecting to be seen and not putting myself in positions where others might put me at risk.

[The Spin Doctor]

All the bright lights and flashing in the world can't help if they simply aren't looking.

1.4 million bikes.

40 million cars and vans.

3 billion motorcycle miles each year.

No-one has ever counted the junctions we pass.

100 fatal junction collisions and 1000 serious injury crashes.

The implication is that drivers DO look. If they didn't, we'd never get much further than the end of our own road. The reasons they don't see bikes are far more complex - hence www.scienceofbeingseen.org.

[Noggin]

I bought myself a Weise Vision jacket last year and on my first outing with it, on a shady avenue, national speed limit, a car pulled out in front of me. We were the only traffic, it was a straight road and the driver sat at the junction for a while so I assumed that they were waiting for me. At the last moment they pulled out and I managed to slip between the car and the curb. It was the closest shave I've had for sometime.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/424587

I don't indicate much - for turns, yes, but not when overtaking. A friend did some advanced riding with the police this year and he was told to use his indicator for overtaking and when my friend asked why he said because blinking, yellow lights stand out. So I've adopted this now - signalling when overtaking - not because I giving information but because I'm simply more visible.

The Weise jacket only really works at night - I think I may even blend in more with the background in some conditions - as above.

I had a very similar incident where I thought the car was waiting for me to pass. I was riding a very pink blackbird, headlight on, I was wearing a florescent yellow motorway jacket, and there was just me on the main road and the car in a t-junction to the left waiting to pull onto the main road

I was only just able to squeeze between the car pulling onto the road and the kerb on the other side of the road from my side!!! Luckily it was a 50mph road and I wasn't hooning as there was a 40mph coming up!!

Never worked out how he didn't see me (or hear me!) but then it was about 7am, so maybe he wasn't awake!!

[MrLongbeard]

I've asked for permission to re-use the clip because I think it's incredibly informative.

Maybe you should have asked permission to publish his full name in the stills you have used...

[Rockburner]

All the bright lights and flashing in the world can't help if they simply aren't looking.

1.4 million bikes.

40 million cars and vans.

3 billion motorcycle miles each year.

No-one has ever counted the junctions we pass.

100 fatal junction collisions and 1000 serious injury crashes.

The implication is that drivers DO look. If they didn't, we'd never get much further than the end of our own road. The reasons they don't see bikes are far more complex - hence www.scienceofbeingseen.org.

You could equally imply that every time a bike successfully passed a "loaded" junction safely is pure luck and the driver just didn't move out during that 5-8 second period of maximum danger.

Without scientifically measuring the stimuli-response pairings of every single junction arrival by a driver, you can only make guesses.

Take responsibility for your own safety and assume they haven't seen you

[weeksy]

I think sometimes you fellas think too much instead of enjoying it.

[Horse]

I think sometimes you fellas think too much instead of enjoying it.

When you go for MTB coaching, do you think it's all spur of the moment or - perhaps - the coach might have taken a bit of time to think about what works and how to get you improving?

From my experience of meeting a lot of riders, many don't know what are really basic things and don't work them out for themselves.

[weeksy]

I think sometimes you fellas think too much instead of enjoying it.

When you go for MTB coaching, do you think it's all spur of the moment or - perhaps - the coach might have taken a bit of time to think about what works and how to get you improving?

From my experience of meeting a lot of riders, many don't know what are really basic things and don't work them out for themselves.

Do they need to?

Tbh to compare motorbikes and MTB is complete madness, certainly in terms of what I ride. Riding a motorbike to the shops and doing a rooty rocky descent have nothing in common other than the number of wheels.
If I rode a motorbike with as little control, grip and all the skills required, I'd still be in fast group on trackdays and been banned on the road.

I'm not belittling what you do, but a motorbike is just like driving a car or walking to the shops. It's just something you do. For me it doesn't or shouldn't need over analysis as that takes away from the experience. You don't get home and dwell on the fact you did a minor mistake in the car or that your line choice could have been more precise on a bend, so why do it on a motorcycle?

[Horse]

I think sometimes you fellas think too much instead of enjoying it.

Oh - don't forget that knowing this stuff got Spin invited on two tours of New Zealand!

[Mr. Dazzle]

Honestly....it never occurred to me that you WOULDN'T indicate when overtaking! Just goes to show what seems like the obvious thing to do for one person is totally the opposite for someone else.

Why wouldn't you indicate when overtaking? I haven't thought about it that much TBH cause I've always just done it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

You don't get home and dwell on the fact you did a minor mistake in the car

Don't I?

I get reet ticked off when I don't nail the downshift into them roundabouts then apex them beautifully. Gotta do something to liven up the commute.

[Horse]

I think sometimes you fellas think too much instead of enjoying it.

When you go for MTB coaching, do you think it's all spur of the moment or - perhaps - the coach might have taken a bit of time to think about what works and how to get you improving?

Tbh to compare motorbikes and MTB is complete madness, certainly in terms of what I ride.

No, perhaps I wasn't clear.

It's the principle that improvements- whether knowledge and understanding, or skills, don't just happen.

The type of vehicle is irrelevant. It could be any other activity, such as golf or swimming.

[Trinity765]

Honestly....it never occurred to me that you WOULDN'T indicate when overtaking! Just goes to show what seems like the obvious thing to do for one person is totally the opposite for someone else.

Why wouldn't you indicate when overtaking? I haven't thought about it that much TBH cause I've always just done it.

Who are you indicating to? I've used to do it occasionally when I thought the person behind me might be planning an overtake.