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High Viz or lights

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Velociraptor Nov 2016 5:20pm, 16 Nov 2016 34,880 posts	Quote Pin Velociraptor I agree with The_Saint. My night vision and corrected visual acuity are normal, but on the unlit and winding country lanes on winter nights you need a surprising amount of illumination to avoid being invisible as a runner or a cyclist. And there will be drivers out there who would not meet the DVLA eyesight standards if they were tested now. They may be in the wrong, but if there's a collision it's the runner or cyclist that's dead.
The_Saint Nov 2016 5:26pm, 16 Nov 2016 5,929 posts	Quote Pin The_Saint I asked for an opinion, the interesting answer I got related to special forces soldiers operating at night behind enemy lines - do they wear. A. All Black B. Hi Viz
Derby Tup Nov 2016 5:36pm, 16 Nov 2016 21,965 posts	Quote Pin Derby Tup I've driven half a million miles in the last 15 years. Dark clothes at night are not and cannot be as visible as light or refective apparel. There are several times I've nearly hit someone dressed head to foot in black
The_Saint Nov 2016 5:39pm, 16 Nov 2016 5,930 posts	Quote Pin The_Saint Another opinion went "Why doesn't the Milk Tray Man wear Hi Viz"? As you may be able to tell I am surrounded by self styled humourists.
MH Nov 2016 6:19pm, 16 Nov 2016 437 posts	Quote Pin MH Hi Viz and lights - I'm with Vrap, I just don't think people realise just how invisible they can be when dressed in dark clothing. I came across two runners a few weeks ago on a B road that is generally pretty busy and rather winding in places. They both had dark clothing on, no hi viz and just one head torch between them (9.42pm). I saw them but it made me shudder, particularly as a lot of the road has high hedgerows on both sides, so there is no where to go. That's extreme, but there are an alarmingly high number of cyclists who seem to think that streetlights are enough for people to see them (on an unlit bike and dressed in black)
DoricQuine Nov 2016 6:56pm, 16 Nov 2016 2,861 posts	Quote Pin DoricQuine m.youtube.com I think this video shows just how invisible runners can be.
The_Saint Nov 2016 7:07pm, 16 Nov 2016 5,931 posts	Quote Pin The_Saint Excellent video DoricQuine
dbroms Nov 2016 7:25pm, 16 Nov 2016 27 posts	Quote Pin dbroms thats a great video , surprised to be honest about the white shirts.
larkim Nov 2016 8:02pm, 16 Nov 2016 1,286 posts	Quote Pin larkim I'm not entirely certain you can trust an advert for scotch reflective tape as being the definitive answer. Whilst it is clearly self evident that good high visibility clothing will be more visible to drivers (I can't argue with that), there's a part of me which feels like holding runners to a standard "requiring" high vis items somehow shifts the burden of responsibility away from drivers, where (IMHO) it rightly sits. So long as drivers stay on the road, and runners stay on the paths, cars and runners should not come into contact. Runners do more to stay safe by crossing roads safely, using all their senses to detect oncoming traffic and not taking risks nipping in between vehicles. To my mind, they are more important factors in staying safe on dark nights when running.
postieboy Nov 2016 8:16pm, 16 Nov 2016 3,957 posts	Quote Pin postieboy Both. I want to be lit up like a Christmas tree when running around the pitch black country lanes when it's dark.