Pedestrians all in black or dark clothing...

[HatethedarknightsQW]

I mostly walk to work and wear a pale coloured coat and hat to give me a chance of being seen on the pavements, crossing the road, on zebra crossings.

Driving to the gym in the morning - so many people walking all in black - the street lighting isn't great where I live and it's really hard to see people. Wear some pale clothing - especially kids!

It makes sense but it can be really hard to find nice winter clothing in bright colours.

And few people want to wear a hi viz.

Kids clothing tends to be brighter...but people are probably thinking about how grubby it gets not a walk in the dark.

I’d disagree with you if there wasn’t so much stupidity around, but I’ve seen people in the dark, dressed in black with those giant headphones, stumble onto the road. Or make a sudden turn onto a pedestrian crossing without looking first. I’m careful when driving, so I expect it, but if I’m walking I value my life so would rather be seen more easily, whilst using my green cross code. Plenty of idiots driving. Don’t assume you are seen.

There was once a govt. TV ad - ‘Wear something light at night!’

Teens especially, seem to be all-black addicts now.

The thing is I don't want a pale coat - it would get ruined really quickly. Maybe there's a market for coats with a reflective trim or something that aren't gross!

I do wear all dark clothing but I stay on the pavement and don't behave like a loon.

I walk on the pavement where traffic is not allowed, I also wait untill there's no traffic before crossing the road, I'm in my 50s and have always worn dark colours with zero accidents. I'm not going to change now

I don’t think people realise just how hard they are to see. I’ve seen cyclists in all black too with only a tweak intermittent light

You can buy reflective strips. Its really important especially for kids. We were given free reflective items at school.

I don't understand why we have no public information films now. People are generally stupid and kids have no sense. If parents don't teach at least the government should.

GET ON IT ANDY BURNHAM. 😁

I was driving home yesterday, up a twisty turny road (semi-rural, main road out to the next town) with no path, in twilight, and coming round a corner there was a pedestrian walking on the side of the road in all black - I was so grateful that I was out towards the middle going around that corner, as I was only about 5 metres away when I spotted him.

It seems no-one taught this pedestrian that for your own safety, you should walk facing the oncoming traffic, as coming around a bend you can't be seen, so you need to see the car first. Not least because my headlights are pointing forward, not around the corner, and being all in black he blended in with the hedge and trees behind him.

I told my kids they always need to wear high-vis/reflective gear if they're walking on the side of the road, and that its better to get a coat with it built in.

I've always been in two minds about this. As a driver I completely agree with you but as a woman who walks on her own at night sometimes I like to blend into the background so I can't be seen.

I think we need to know what time this was. If it was school run time (I assume) then I would contact the council about this as the street lighting timers either need adjusting - or better lighting is needed. It really shouldn't be that dark at school run time.

No need to wear light or bright clothing. Just stick a reflective badge on your person. Reflectors in winter are a legal requirement where I am from and we'd normally wear one on our handbag, backpack or stick to the coat. Not sure why it isn't a requirement in the UK. Seems like the most straightforward and cost-effective way to improve road safety.

We walk home along dark twisty roads, but the kids have to have black coats for school.

We’ve added reflective stick on strips onto their coats and backpacks (they look silver/grey in normal light), plus we all wear light up arm bands (they work like slap bands so easy to keep them in pockets and then pop them on when walking home).

Back in the 1980s I tried explaining this at school. Our uniform, including the coat was navy.

If you don't want a light coat you can get reflective belts and sashes. They cost £5 at the most.

YANBU I almost mowed down a woman, dressed in dark clothing walking along a country lane (no footpath) at about 5pm last winter. I certainly wasn't speeding but she was invisible until I was almost next to her.

IMO she really should have made more effort to be visible with a torch/high vis band or something.

See also (or don't see!!) cyclists - no reflective strips, no lights, no helmets and all in black. And it won't be their fault when something happens 😡

If a car mounts the pavement and hits me as a pedestrian I don’t think a light coat or a reflective strip would have done much to be honest.

I dress all black but I use reflective bands around my arms & legs. I look like a prat but who cares? I have friends that put on a high-vis vest. Better looking a bit of a plonker than dead.

I also carry a torch rather than use my phone. You can change the beam so I up it when I cross the roads to be extra obvious.

People don’t realise this unless they witness it from the other side. Not helped by lampposts turned down plus how many bright clothes do you actually see in the winter in the shops? I looked for a bright coat for DS and everything is a sludge shade.

I tend to wear a lot of yellow clothing, just because the colour suits me more than anything, and despite being a large yellow object I am still somehow invisible to road users, cyclists and pedestrians alike. I just think I'm 50 years old and invisible now, despite being the most brightly coloured thing on the street!

Black is the colour of coat that goes with anything and is most cheaply and widely available

Theres loads of options to make yourself visible at night from hi vis vests to light up hats.

I always wear dark clothing with the exception of me tee-shirt, which is black but 'as white horizontal bars.
The last thing I wants is for people to see us.

I walk everywhere and to be honest the worst pedestrians are elderly people who just walk out into the street in front of buses without looking. I also fear for cyclists who wear headphones whilst cycling. Definitely a lack of common sense in every generation.

Light or pale clothing in dark weather is asking to be ruined.

Depends where they're walking surely? If I'm walking at night it's usually on a decently lit city pavement. It doesn't matter if I wear black. If I was walking down a poorly lit country lane with no pavement of course I should wear something hi-vis.