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The SEE System: Increasing Your Visibility
 

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The SEE System: Increasing Your Visibility

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It helps to be seen as well as to see. I wear a lightweight fluorescent yellow jacket over my regular clothing. It also has reflective striping for being seen at night. It beats black leather, any time.

On a poker run, one of the guys at a checkpoint said: "Man, we could see you a mile away!" That is precisely the point. Yet another rider told me he would never be seen in such a jacket. I guess he is more fashion-conscious than he is safety-conscious.

This highly visible jacket beats loud pipes any day when it comes to drawing drivers' attention to my presence.

In the UK we have an independent organisation, I.A.M.(Institute of Advanced Motorists and Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists).

The sole aim is to increase the standard of riding through local IAM groups who offer advice and training (free) to raise the riders capabilities to a level where they are able to take the Advanced Riding test.

More info here - IAM

On my end I'm using my neon orange jacket especially at night. It's really dangerous if there are big trucks too so I hope some organization in our country will develop a standard rule for wearing these kind of stuff.

Studies show that because motorcycles are much smaller, they may not be “seen” or fully, consciously registered in the minds of other motorists.

And in today’s increasingly dense traffic, even when motorists do see riders, some may not demonstrate sufficient respect for them for one reason or another

And there you have it folks: even if they do see you, they figure you just don't matter.

Yep.

I have folks pulling in front of my full-size pickup all the time. I guess they are trying to be helpful, reminding me to test my brakes.

I've had a theory that the bikes with multiple headlights are less apt to have this problem that those with only one lamp.

I haven't decided if it's because their approach is easier to process, or if it 'looks funny', and the driver's subconscious takes a bit more effort to determine what it is seeing.

Yes yes, and someone actually had to "study" to figure this out? I hope no real money changed hands for this "study". I'd have told them for a six pack.

Ding ding! A winner! Hard to see things when you aren't paying attention. If someone can smash into a full sized fire truck with lights and siren going (happened to me 3 times) then that florescent jacket will only make finding the body easier. Wear it if it makes you feel better though.

If you'd just been Brave like a Smoke Jumper fighting a raging Forest Fire - none of that would have happened, would it?

Only if I had been doing it for 5 seasons.