Hi viz doesn’t work if a driver isn’t looking & they don’t look

[ivykaty44]

twitter.com/anthonytilghman/status/1489814943859986438?s=21

Wide street, visibility good as from a distance the driver would see the hi viz, the child approaching

Yet none of this worked and the driver failed to stop in time

It’s drivers needing to pay attention as hiviz is just a stick to beat victims with if there not wearing it Aibu

Goodness. That was a lucky escape and must have been a frightening experience. Well done crossing guard.

Of course drivers need to pay attention.
It's not an either/or though is it. The crossing guard in this case was clearly visible, because of her bright colours, her position on the crossing and the fact that it was broad daylight. There was absolutely no excuse for the driver not seeing her. I wonder whether this one was on her phone.

I often drive at night and pedestrians wearing dark colours are not always easy to spot , especially when they suddenly step out in front of you to cross the road (except on zebra crossings etc which obviously are well lit)

It’s still better to wear it! For the drivers that are looking.

It’s drivers needing to pay attention as hiviz is just a stick to beat victims with if there not wearing it Aibu

Well yes and no..

Drivers should obviously be paying attention. That's indisputable. No one can argue against that fact.

But if someone isn't wearing hi vis, they do make it much harder to see them QUICKLY, which is the fact that saves them. I've come across cyclists and pedestrians on the road dressed in black, green or brown, so they blend into the background of hedges and trees. I see them a lot later than those in hi vis. I've seen people do that in the day and night too. If you don't want to wear hi vis, then don't, but for the sake of £2, it could save your life. Bit odd to value your life as less than that.

Round my way, we have loads of electric scooters being ridden illegally both on roads and pavements. Invariably they are a dull black in colour with no lights or reflectors, being ridden by someone dressed completely in black. It's very hard to see them during the day, almost impossible at night.
Cyclists are often nearly as bad, but at least bikes have reflectors if nothing else.
During the daylight, I think it is unreasonable to expect pedestrians to wear hi cuz, but at night, it really wouldn't do any harm to at least make sure they have something reflective on.

I think all children's coats and bags should have reflective strips or logos by law.

I was driving to work last week and I noticed how 2 different pedestrians in dark clothing could barely be seen.

Drivers should pay attention.

Pedestrians/cyclists should make sure they are visible.

It’s not an either or situation.

The driver was probably on their phone.
That's the States but over here 10% are on their phones. I know this because I walk almost everywhere and in my bored moments I try to count how many passing drivers aren't on their phone, I have never past ten.

Having said that I wear a bright coat and reflective hat when I'm out late.

That must have been very scary, they were very very lucky.

Alongside lights, I wear retroreflective jacket, trousers and bag cover if I’m wearing a rucksack. Despite essentially looking like a one man disco I have been hit twice by drivers, one who chose to full out in front of me without looking, another who drove into the back of me.

Drivers who choose to drive dangerously will fail to see hi-vis just as they’ll fail to see a brake light, or a crossing warden.

High Vis is great and possibly alerts a handful of drivers that would be completely oblivious. Unfortunately there are very high nUmbers of entitled drivers who believe their journey to be "above" rules about phones, speed, lane use, traffic signals and signage. They usually plead a case of being out of character but anyone who regularly used roads outside the confines of a car has had a "moment". There are barely any careful drivers.

passed ten.
Shouldn't type before tea ☕.

I do kind of agree with you - all the high vis in the world wouldn't make a difference if the driver isn't looking.

However, in difficult road conditions (poor lighting, heavy rain, fog etc), high vis will make you visible more easily and earlier to drivers who are looking where they're going.

Even the most careful attentive driver in the world can only see so much in the dark

It’s not an either or situation

But whilst we keep telling rd users to be visible, where are the measures to tell drivers to actually look? Where ir when is on the onus on the driver to pay attention

The film shown was broad daylight - yet pp talks about dark conditions making it hard to see, it’s always excuses for the drivers

we give victims half the burden surely we should shift and give perpetrators 100% of the burden and that would make roads safer

The near misses might not be a miss without the hi viz

A good place to start would be actually banning bad drivers off the road, instead of giving them endless chances 'because they need their car to get to work'.

I work in a badly lit village where pedestrians and cyclists have to walk on the roads in some areas. Hi-vis and lights/torches absolutely work. I don't think these accidents should be used to undermine their importance.

This is the US, what are the laws on phone use whilst driving there? Many of the comments on the video suggesting the driver was looking at their phone.

I agree all the hi vis in the world won't help if the driver is not even looking at the road.

But whilst we keep telling rd users to be visible, where are the measures to tell drivers to actually look?

There are a whole range of laws which cover dangerous and irresponsible driving. You wouldn't actually pass a driving test if you weren't looking at the road and the driver could not have been looking to have this near miss. This is nothing like pedestrians or cyclists being harder to see in dark clothing.

I think the penalties for using a phone whilst driving (even if that's not what happend here) should be the same as for drink/drug driving.

Most of the pedestrian and cyclist injuries where I live are caused by drivers on their phones. When you walk a lot you really notice it. It is scary how many drivers are quite literally not looking where they are going.

I think the penalties for using a phone whilst driving (even if that's not what happend here) should be the same as for drink/drug driving.
I agree. If you use your phone while driving, you accept that you are putting others at risk of death. Why should we condone that?

There is no such thing as an invisibility cloak, what ever people wear they are still visible, just drive carefully

That’s really scary. But I don’t think one video in the US means wearing hi vis is a waste of time for everyone in every other scenario.

There is no such thing as an invisibility cloak, what ever people wear they are still visible, just drive carefully

I disagree. I worked in ITU at a regional trauma centre for years, I've seen the horrific injuries sustained in traffic accidents and I drive with a vigilance which reflect that but I have had two, what I consider to be, near misses, neither of them anything like as close as the one in the video.

On one occasion a cyclist in dark clothing was invisible in the shade of overhanging trees, I was pulling out of a junction and had been sitting waiting for traffic to clear, I absolutely was watching and being careful. I didn't come anywhere near hitting the cyclist but to suddenly see them when my car entered the shade was frightening.

On another occasion I was waiting to turn right off a main road and a motorcyclist was riding so close to the back of a lorry I could not possibly have seen them. If I had been riding the clutch waiting for the lorry to pass I might have hit them. Again it was frightening to suddenly see them when I had been unable to before.

@Momicrone

There is no such thing as an invisibility cloak, what ever people wear they are still visible, just drive carefully

I do drive carefully and I consider myself to be incredibly vigilant; I have ADHD and because of it I am hyperaware of not becoming distracted.

I often drive past people stepping out between parked cars, riding electric scooters around dark roundabouts with no lights on, teenagers cycling on the road with no lights or helmet - and they are invariably dressed head to toe in black. It's incredibly difficult to see them, never mind gauge what they are about to do, until they're in the beam of my headlights.

I'm not absolving drivers of anything, I'm just saying the onus is on everyone to be as visible as possible.

@Momicrone

There is no such thing as an invisibility cloak, what ever people wear they are still visible, just drive carefully

I disagree, you can't drive at 20 on an A road, it wouldn't be safe. There was a bad accident near me where a car driving at 50 in a 60 killed a pedestrian, who was walking on the A road head to toe in black and walking away from cars. A high vis would have helped. The driver wasn't found to be guilty of dangerous driving.

Op so what are you suggesting, people try and blend in with the scenery?

@Sparklesocks

That’s really scary. But I don’t think one video in the US means wearing hi vis is a waste of time for everyone in every other scenario.

You could argue that the crossing person is also at fault. They allowed a child to cross whilst a car was driving toward them