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Hi Viz for kids campaign

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  • January 19, 2018 at 10:15 am #28048
    Bikebikebike

    http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/15866212.1_000_free_hi_vis_vests_to_be_handed_to_children_out_at_Castlepoint_this_weekend/

    Some guy has started a campaign to hand out hi viz vests to kids.  Whilst I admire him for doing something, he’s doing completely the wrong thing.  If you put no thought whatsoever into it, then it seems like a positive plan.  But when you step back and see that it is again putting the emphasis on kids to make sure they aren’t run over rather than focussing on the actual cause of the danger i.e. cars.

    This has been in the local paper a few times, and I get more annoyed each time I see it.

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  • January 20, 2018 at 8:13 am #910361
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    Anonymous

    I hope the parents have

    I hope the parents have taught their children not to accept gifts from strangers

    January 20, 2018 at 2:05 am #910359
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    Anonymous
    PRSboy wrote:
    Yes of course the onus must be on drivers to be as responsible as possible… my point is that hi viz clothing can mean that a child will be visible earlier to another road user.

    We know nothing of the circumstances of this tragedy, but its just possible that seeing a child crossing the road earlier, even driving (or cycling) at 20 mph, could be the difference between hitting them and not.

    No it doesn’t, what it is proven to do is reduce the onus of responsibility for safety and create a victim blaming culture. People like you and the idiot in the link just propagate this and make matters worse.

     

    January 20, 2018 at 1:05 am #910357
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    Redvee

    There’s a video online about

    There’s a video online about this and it shows the guy with the side door of his van open with boxes of hi-viz in the back but said van is parked on zig-zags usually seen outside schools.

     

    https://twitter.com/BBCRadioSolent/status/954268664370548736/video/1

    January 19, 2018 at 5:16 pm #910355
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    brooksby
    LastBoyScout wrote:
    Someone I know has a jet black dog. When he walks him in the dark, he puts a red light on the dog’s collar – often jokes he taking his light for a walk, as that’s all you can see.

    My daughter cycles to pre-school and back, on the pavement in residential streets where it is well known that there are 4 schools in close proximity. I have got a couple of child-sized hi-viz tops, in yellow and pink, but I don’t see any need for her to wear one on the pavement with me escorting her.

    During daylight, I’m not too fussy about wearing hi-viz myself on the roads, but, equally, I won’t go out in all dark colours – I’ll be wearing “light” colours.

    In dusk or dark, I’ll purposely wear light coloured/hi-viz/reflective clothing.

    While I agree entirely that I shouldn’t have to and drivers should be looking and so on, it’s not an ideal world and the fact of the matter is that some aren’t paying full attention, for whatever reason, so if increasing my visibility will keep me safer, then that’s what I’m going to do.

    Case in point being cycling home from work last night. Going the other way was a chap dressed head to toe in black, on a black bike, on a black road, with no lights.

    On your first paragraph: coming home last night I was all ready to ask if someone needed assistance as I could see a back light ahead at the side of a pitch black shared use path. When I got closer my own headlight lit up two women and a dog (the dog was wearing a lit up red collar).

    January 19, 2018 at 4:54 pm #910353
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    LastBoyScout

    Someone I know has a jet

    Someone I know has a jet black dog. When he walks him in the dark, he puts a red light on the dog’s collar – often jokes he taking his light for a walk, as that’s all you can see.

    My daughter cycles to pre-school and back, on the pavement in residential streets where it is well known that there are 4 schools in close proximity. I have got a couple of child-sized hi-viz tops, in yellow and pink, but I don’t see any need for her to wear one on the pavement with me escorting her.

    During daylight, I’m not too fussy about wearing hi-viz myself on the roads, but, equally, I won’t go out in all dark colours – I’ll be wearing “light” colours.

    In dusk or dark, I’ll purposely wear light coloured/hi-viz/reflective clothing.

    While I agree entirely that I shouldn’t have to and drivers should be looking and so on, it’s not an ideal world and the fact of the matter is that some aren’t paying full attention, for whatever reason, so if increasing my visibility will keep me safer, then that’s what I’m going to do.

    Case in point being cycling home from work last night. Going the other way was a chap dressed head to toe in black, on a black bike, on a black road, with no lights.

    January 19, 2018 at 4:10 pm #910351
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    Bikebikebike
    ClubSmed wrote:
    To be honest I am all for both kids and dogs wearing hi-vis reflective gear for extra visibility (what happened to child bike flags?) as they are both likely to do things that are not expected.

    * I say this as a Father and a dog owner

    No, they do things that should be expected.  That is the whole point.

    January 19, 2018 at 3:42 pm #910349
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    Bluebug

    Bikebikebike wrote:

    Bikebikebike wrote:

    But why should kids have to dress up like workmen to walk to school? Effort should be going into getting drivers to be responsible when in residential areas. The response to lots of kids getting stabbed over the Xmas period shouldn’t be to provide other kids with stab vests. Just like this is the wrong response to a kid getting run over. 

    When I was 5, back in the last century, we were told to wear high viz slashes to school so we could be easily seen by drivers and the roads were less busy then.

    Point is it is nothing new and has been going on for over 30 years.

    Oh and I use to have a bright green coat and a black coat. When I wore my green coat every driver stopped for me at zebra crossings in dim light but when I wore my black coat very few did. I then started to notice that if you wear black, grey or other dark colours it is hard as a road user for others to see you in dim light. Most people on foot tend to wear dark colours so it is hard to see them. On the other hand lots of cyclists decide not to after the clocks go back.

    January 19, 2018 at 2:47 pm #910347
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    Rich_cb

    The fact is that changing
    The fact is that changing driver behaviour and/or changing speed limits and/or introducing new legislation and/or better policing takes a lot of time to achieve results and may not ever do so.

    Increasing your visibility takes seconds and according to at least one randomised controlled trial significantly reduces your likelihood of being in an accident.

    They’re not mutually exclusive either.

    You can campaign for a road system which is far safer whilst acknowledging the risks that currently exist and controlling for them as best you can.

    January 19, 2018 at 2:40 pm #910345
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    ClubSmed

    To be honest I am all for

    To be honest I am all for both kids and dogs wearing hi-vis reflective gear for extra visibility (what happened to child bike flags?) as they are both likely to do things that are not expected.

    * I say this as a Father and a dog owner

    January 19, 2018 at 2:10 pm #910343
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    hawkinspeter

    It’s a dangerous precedent to

    It’s a dangerous precedent to set when you expect drivers to only look out for people wearing hi-viz.

    If a driver can’t make out people in dark clothing, then they need to get their eyes checked or not be driving. Why should kids have to dress up to help incompetent drivers?

    January 19, 2018 at 1:56 pm #910341
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    PRSboy

    Yes of course the onus must

    Yes of course the onus must be on drivers to be as responsible as possible… my point is that hi viz clothing can mean that a child will be visible earlier to another road user.

    We know nothing of the circumstances of this tragedy, but its just possible that seeing a child crossing the road earlier, even driving (or cycling) at 20 mph, could be the difference between hitting them and not.

    January 19, 2018 at 1:48 pm #910339
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    alansmurphy

    As bike bik bike says, I’d

    As bike bik bike says, I’d rather the council handed out some 20mph or 10mph signs onto concrete around schools and the Police hand out points and courts actually hand out bans…

     

    January 19, 2018 at 1:24 pm #910337
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    Bikebikebike

    But why should kids have to

    But why should kids have to dress up like workmen to walk to school? Effort should be going into getting drivers to be responsible when in residential areas. The response to lots of kids getting stabbed over the Xmas period shouldn’t be to provide other kids with stab vests. Just like this is the wrong response to a kid getting run over. 

    January 19, 2018 at 12:08 pm #910335
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    PRSboy

    Dunno, seems positive enough

    Dunno, seems positive enough to me.  Its not aimed just at cyclists.  Hi viz and particularly reflective clothing does catch the eye a bit earlier, when driving on dipped beam.

    Recently early one morning I saw (or rather didn’t see) a bloke crossing the road in the distance with his dog.  The dog had a reflective jacket and I could see him much earlier than the stealth owner, who was in dark clothing.

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