This is a systemic problem with a lot of variables, not purely a problem of what people are wearing. Approaching it this way, with the focus on how pedestrians can lessen the risk of dangerous drivers, while using dangerous infrastructure, puts the responsibility on the people getting killed, not on cities to improve visibility, or drivers to pay attention, or car manufacturers to create better alerts, less blinding headlights, or whatever.
It’s seriously impractical to wear reflective socks and gloves, especially in Winter when the weather is cold and daylight hours are short. I’d much rather wear my warm gloves and pants that go over my socks when it is below freezing out at night. None of my cold weather gear is reflective apart from an expedition jacket that is *major* overkill for an average Winter night.
I find that a headlamp works far better than any reflective clothing, because you don’t have to wait for the headlights to light up your clothing (if they will at all). But I am also able to afford what I need to keep myself safe, this does nothing for the most vulnerable people who are walking/cycling for economic reasons and not able to purchase a lot of reflective gear.
knowmynamedoya on
I’m a runner first (and cyclist second, which is why I’m here) and I love my reflective clothing and lights. I have a neon yellow jacket with stripes, a vest, reflective bands, a bike light I attached to the back of my cap, etc. While I encourage people to be visible, my close calls with cars have ***not*** been at night due to poor visibility and the onus shouldn’t be put on the runner/cyclist/pedestrian.
As other have mentioned, pedestrian safety is a multivariable subject. My closest calls by far have been cars making *rights on reds* and not looking at me, approaching from their right. I do my best to be defensive and make multiple shoulder checks, but when cars making little rolling stops on the red or drive unpredictably, it’s hard to protect myself.
And then the lack of infrastructure. When I lived in Toronto, where was a beautiful, forested, and shaded MUP where I could run and the only thing I had to pay attention to were cyclists. Now I fight for my life running on the shoulder, where twice, drivers have tried to pass other drivers on the shoulder.
I feel like even walking/running is so tasking because I have to try to predict driver behaviour (e.g. with the flow of traffic, can this driver even turn? I guess not, so I’m good to go). It’s supposed to be calming and good for your soul!
2 Comments
This is a systemic problem with a lot of variables, not purely a problem of what people are wearing. Approaching it this way, with the focus on how pedestrians can lessen the risk of dangerous drivers, while using dangerous infrastructure, puts the responsibility on the people getting killed, not on cities to improve visibility, or drivers to pay attention, or car manufacturers to create better alerts, less blinding headlights, or whatever.
It’s seriously impractical to wear reflective socks and gloves, especially in Winter when the weather is cold and daylight hours are short. I’d much rather wear my warm gloves and pants that go over my socks when it is below freezing out at night. None of my cold weather gear is reflective apart from an expedition jacket that is *major* overkill for an average Winter night.
I find that a headlamp works far better than any reflective clothing, because you don’t have to wait for the headlights to light up your clothing (if they will at all). But I am also able to afford what I need to keep myself safe, this does nothing for the most vulnerable people who are walking/cycling for economic reasons and not able to purchase a lot of reflective gear.
I’m a runner first (and cyclist second, which is why I’m here) and I love my reflective clothing and lights. I have a neon yellow jacket with stripes, a vest, reflective bands, a bike light I attached to the back of my cap, etc. While I encourage people to be visible, my close calls with cars have ***not*** been at night due to poor visibility and the onus shouldn’t be put on the runner/cyclist/pedestrian.
As other have mentioned, pedestrian safety is a multivariable subject. My closest calls by far have been cars making *rights on reds* and not looking at me, approaching from their right. I do my best to be defensive and make multiple shoulder checks, but when cars making little rolling stops on the red or drive unpredictably, it’s hard to protect myself.
And then the lack of infrastructure. When I lived in Toronto, where was a beautiful, forested, and shaded MUP where I could run and the only thing I had to pay attention to were cyclists. Now I fight for my life running on the shoulder, where twice, drivers have tried to pass other drivers on the shoulder.
I feel like even walking/running is so tasking because I have to try to predict driver behaviour (e.g. with the flow of traffic, can this driver even turn? I guess not, so I’m good to go). It’s supposed to be calming and good for your soul!