Best colours for visibility

dayshah

I practice safe cycling (to the extent of wearing a condom when on the saddle ).

I was wondering is there any evidence for what is the best colour for high visibility? I expect it is hi-viz yellow. But I once heard the golden gate bridge in San Francisco was painted orange because that is the best colour. And then, lot of hiking jackets are red (and I never saw a hi-viz yellow one) because that is a good colour.

Is there any evidence for what is best? I am mostly concerned with cycling during daylight.

Idleater

Beggared

No sure about the colour, green would be my guess, but the style of hi-viz jacket is important I think. Many of the cheap ones are intended to be worn by motorists in breakdown situations and don't work well for cyclists. The problem is that when cycling you are rarely upright so your biggest visible feature from the rear is your bum. Most hi-viz don't go down that far so they lose much of their effectiveness. Choose a jacket with a long back. Like this one perhaps. One very effective hi-viz aid is reflective arm bands worn near the ankle. They move up and down as you cycle and are very eye catching.

rp

I'm thinking of switching to black, to stand-out against all that hi-viz out there.
Seriously though, I think high contrast stands out better than one colour: think Celtic away strip.

langdang

I deliberately chose orange as I think there's so much yellow other there that the orange stands out better.
And Halfords had the Polaris Orbiter jacket going cheap - even on your average murky Irish day it really stands out

They don't seem to have it in stock anymore tho, that photo is from another site and doesn't quite catch the vicious shade of orange.

Lumen

langdang

Yup, no-one could say they didn't notice you in that!
A magnet for stick throwing gurriers I'd say tho :mad:

Manchegan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZICtiNK4AWc

eg., this (discontinued) cycling waistcoat would comply with EN471

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/madison-hi-viz-reflective-jacket

Raam

langdang wrote: »

Yup, no-one could say they didn't notice you in that!
A magnet for stick throwing gurriers I'd say tho :mad:

One does get a few looks.

studiorat

Lumen wrote: »

All them lads isn't going to get too far on just two bikes. And not an life jacket between them.

cdaly_

It's getting worse I tell ya!

This morning I saw a kid getting into his daddy's car to go to school. He came out of his front door, down the car-length of driveway, across the pavement and into the car.

Wearing* a hi-vis vest all the while...


*Under his schoolbag too...

Jawgap

Raam wrote: »

One does get a few looks.

I'll bet you do, sir.

Do you like to look, sir, do you - I'll bet you do, Mr RAAAAMM

ooooh:)

ednwireland

mountain rescue reckon reds best on the hills (stands out best against the green) high vis is only useful if you got lights to reflect it

seamus

The colour which works best is the one that stands out from the background and all the colours being worn/used by other vehicles. You're looking for something which "interrupts" the onlooker's vision and creates an obvious disruption in patterns.
High-vis yellow is of less use because so many cyclists and motorcyclists wear it that you don't stand out as much as you otherwise would. During daytime in particular take a look around and note how many things are either painted yellow-ish or become yellow-ish from sunlight. It makes you wonder why we think yellow is the best high-vis at all. I'm sitting in a room here where almost everything is either off-white or yellowish.

Pedestrians with high-vis yellow stand out from the crowd because very few peds wear it.

With that in mind, bright pink, red or orange are probably the best colours, because they are unlikely to be present otherwise in both urban and rural environments.
Blue is less harsh and migh give a certain amount of visibility (over black or grey), but particularly in rural environments it will blend into the green.

Raam

Gaa shorts with runners and hairy legs stand out a mile for me. I'd ride into a wall to avoid you.

rp

Raam wrote: »

Gaa shorts with runners and hairy legs stand out a mile for me. I'd ride into a wall to avoid you.

The question is, though: Sligo or Antrim?

tomasrojo

I think most of the hi-viz garments available increase conspicuity. The problem I have is that we already can see cyclists during the daytime.

I used to be a bit of an outlier years ago, as I wore a Sam Browne during daylight, and reflective wrist cuffs I made myself, but I decided in the end that the Sam Browne wasn't really necessary. Any problem I had wasn't due to a motorist not seeing me, but not registering me, and the Sam Browne made very little difference there. Indeed, now that hi-viz is ubiquitous, its effect of suddenly stimulating attention in the motorist's mind is probably highly diminished.

This is an unusual source to quote, but I think he has a point:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/jamesmay/8702434/Missing-the-point-of-hi-vis-jackets.html

We must flatly refuse to follow this fluorescent fashion, for two reasons. First, I think it's a bit self-important, and even pretty bad form, to adopt the garb of those who do genuinely dangerous work while we are engaged in something everyday. There are people out there who genuinely need these things, and to wear one just because you're loading a van is an insult to them. It's worse than wearing a Ferrari paddock jacket when you don't drive a Ferrari.

But the second reason is far more sinister. On that aforementioned car journey, I drove past some coned-off roadworks on a fast dual carriageway. Unusually, there were actually some people working on the road, and they were wearing hi-vis jackets, as you'd expect.

Unfortunately, though, there's so much of this stuff around these days that I barely noticed them, and didn't slow down until it was almost too late.

I didn't ditch the yellow reflective wrist bands, as I find them reasonably effective for signalling and for getting attention when you need it, as they augment the biomotion of hand signals (and you can wave them more fervently when the situation requires, and they slip into your pocket when you're off the bike).

Hi-viz ankle cuffs probably would be very effective at drawing attention as well.

But at the end of the day, good road positioning and a little bit of non-aggressive waving seems very effective to me.

Jawgap

I always thought orange was the best colour - mostly because it's used on the railways who I assumed, given the speeds involved, need to have their guys kitted out in something that can be seen from as far away as possible, epsecially during the day when refelctive strips wouldn't be much use.

tomasrojo

I think the railways guys use orange because they're often working against green backgrounds out in the country. There were about the first workers to use hi-viz too.

Application for rail workers in the UK

Experimental use of high-visibility clothing began in 1964 on the Scottish Region. Fluorescent orange jackets, known as "fire-flies", were issued to track workers on the Pollokshields to Eglinton Street electrified section in Glasgow; they were later tried in other areas, such as Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. Train drivers operating in these areas were asked their opinion as to the effectiveness of the jackets.[1] Following trials, high-visibility clothing was issued to engineering and other staff working on the electrified lines of BR's London Midland Region in 1965. It was thought to be more important due to the higher speeds of the newly electrified WCML route from Euston to Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. The first version was worn as a jerkin and was "visible at ... half a mile in normal weather conditions."[2] In the UK, it is a requirement of Network Rail that all personnel working on or around the track wear high-visibility clothing (or HV gear as it is known). The rate of deaths and injuries on the rail network has been reduced considerably since the early 1970s when high-visibility clothing and the acceptance of the need for it became common

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-visibility_clothing

Macy0161

I'm colour blind, and orange hi vis really doesn't stand out for me against green. Might not be an issue for train drivers (if they have to pass a colour vision test). The yellow one's stand out best for me, hence it's the colour I choose!

tomasrojo

Macy0161 wrote: »

Might not be an issue for train drivers (if they have to pass a colour vision test).

Funny you should say that!

Colour blindness needn't stop someone driving, because traffic lights can be distinguished by the position of the light. However, it can be an obstacle to particular careers where good colour vision is important, including pilots, electricians, train drivers and some jobs in the printing, fashion and design industries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/colour_blindness.shtml

tomasrojo

I seem to have a mild colour-confusion, where I can perceive a certain colour as either green or brown. I get funny looks when I describe, say, a particular shirt as my green shirt.

(I don't have the more famous colour blindness, because I had to do the test as an undergraduate in Biology, since some of the standard stains used in microscopy are hard to discern for colour-blind individuals.)

droidus

The most common form of colour blindness in men is red/green.

I read a few years back that the 'safest' paint colour for cars is also red.

el Bastardo

A good, fluorescent orange jacket is best (There's a cyclist I pass now and then who wears one of these and you couldn't but see him). I don't notice the usual crappy, hi-vis yellow vests etc.

trad

I have seen cyclists with flashing led light on their ankles. The moving light seemes to do a good job in attracting attention

check_six

My theory - motion gets you noticed. When I see someone in the dead of night dressed in black with no lights on their bike I think "Look at that loolah, they're practically invisible. You couldn't hope to spot them!". This thought is at odds with the fact I have just spotted them with no problem at all. The bio-motion of the rider is what you notice, so the previous tip about getting some kind of lights or reflector strips for your ankles is a good one.
In fact, to stretch this theory maybe we should all adjust our cycling style to increase our visibility. Abandon your Cancellara TT aero tuck and thrash around furiously in the fashion of Cav in a sprint... all the time!

The final piece of the puzzle is to make motor vehicles easier to see by replacing their wheels with six insectoid mechanical legs. These legs should also make a tremendous clanking noise. Oh yes, when I am Overlord things are going to get real interesting around here!

Macy0161

droidus wrote: »

The most common form of colour blindness in men is red/green.

I read a few years back that the 'safest' paint colour for cars is also red.

Colour blindness is actually very rare in women, although a significant number seem to be unable to see just how orange they are!

I, like most, can see colours - it's more not seeing differences between shades mainly (like different shades of green, or between some greens and browns etc), and some contrasts don't stand out. It's not like most "sufferers" only have black and white vision.

tomasrojo

I've a female friend who has colour blindness. Inevitably (since it's an X-linked trait) both her brothers have it as well.

Pigeon Reaper

Coast guard use bright orange with Solas reflectors. They work well as on searches and rescues you can pick each member out from a number of km away while members of the public might not be visible at first.

Ninja cyclists at night will eventually get spotted but it's a case of how soon they're seen. Even if you run one over you will eventually see them as they splat.

Bright yellow jackets at night are overrated. It's better to use good lights as these do not rely on another light source to reflect back to the drivers. Reflective material will also help at night but this does not have to be day-glo pink/yellow. Hi vis yellow on the road during the day is also questionable.

High contrast colours are good but any team colours will do this unless you support the all blacks. My opinion is that hi-vis is being introduced so the true root of road safety doesn't need to be addressed which is the high fallible nut between the steering wheel and offside front seat of vechicles.

I'm all for PPE in the dangerous circumstances where statistics prove that it has benefits. There is no study proving hi-vis has benefits in the general public enivronment.

tomasrojo

Pigeon Reaper wrote: »

Bright yellow jackets at night are overrated.

Indeed, only the reflective grey stripes are any use at night, as the yellow material can't fluoresce at night, since artificial light has a negligible ultraviolet component.

Chips Lovell

coolbeans

Hi-vis looks hideous. If I want to be seen I'll make sure I look fabulous always!

Lemag

Flesh coloured.

Lumen

Works in castles too.

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

Works in castles too.

The eye is drawn towards the rider in the black in that one.

Stokolan

Mavic do a decent jersey http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mavic-vision-short-sleeve-jersey/

A mate of mine uses it on his commute to work.

Beasty

Raam wrote: »

The eye is drawn towards the rider in the black in that one.

TBH, it's only when you mentioned that that I noticed there were 3 other cyclists in the photo. I now see that one of them is on the footpath:rolleyes:

(so much for bright colours)

mp31

seamus wrote: »

The colour which works best is the one that stands out from the background and all the colours being worn/used by other vehicles. You're looking for something which "interrupts" the onlooker's vision and creates an obvious disruption in patterns.
High-vis yellow is of less use because so many cyclists and motorcyclists wear it that you don't stand out as much as you otherwise would. During daytime in particular take a look around and note how many things are either painted yellow-ish or become yellow-ish from sunlight. It makes you wonder why we think yellow is the best high-vis at all. I'm sitting in a room here where almost everything is either off-white or yellowish.

Pedestrians with high-vis yellow stand out from the crowd because very few peds wear it.

With that in mind, bright pink, red or orange are probably the best colours, because they are unlikely to be present otherwise in both urban and rural environments.
Blue is less harsh and migh give a certain amount of visibility (over black or grey), but particularly in rural environments it will blend into the green.

I hear ya ... but since buying a bike, I've been thinking about this as well and in my experience a rider wearing a full yellow long sleeve jacket (where the sleeves are yellow and there are no black side panels) seems to work very well.

I go past the fruit markets every day and there are a lot of hi-viz vests being worn by the fork-lift truck drivers who zoom about the place but the one thing I do notice quickly (and from a distance) is a commuter who regularly cycles amongst all this wearing a long sleeve yellow jacket.

Also, out where I live, a couple of cyclists wear full yellow long sleeve jackets and they catch my eye much more so than other colours such as orange or white.

Maybe I'm 'predisposed' to noticing these now that I've got a bike