CONSPICUITY FOR CYCLIST SURVIVAL

1. CONSPICUITY FOR CYCLIST SURVIVAL Jack Holmgren Member San Francisco Randonneurs Randonneurs USA 2-27-12 (All errors and opinions are the author’s)

2. Don Mitchell at the start of the 2009 Gold Rush Randonnee

3. Our Fallen Comrades • Bruce Taylor – 2010 • Don Mitchell – 2010 • Jim Swarzman – 2011 • Others hurt or killed by cars at night, in low-light, or daylight • We owe it to them to be as conspicuous as possible.

4. The Problem = Drivers • The man who struck Don Mitchell at 50 MPH • 78 years of age • Driving near on-coming traffic – glare • Twilight • Shortly after the switch to Daylight Savings • Was likely 4 feet into the shoulder • Credibly said that he NEVER SAW Don

5. The man who ran into and killed Don • NEVER SAW Don.

6. Holmgren’s First Law of Cycling Survival • You can never be too conspicuous.

7. Cars and Bikes • Drivers – Younger AND Older • Fail to compensate • Limitations at night • Reduced contrast • Sensitivity to glare • All of which decrease their ability to • SEE CYCLISTS.

8. We know Drivers fail to compensate • Is this bad? • Yes, it is bad. • But what can we do about it TODAY? • We can compensate for the drivers by being • MUCH MORE conspicuous.

9. Conspicuity • The property of being clearly discernible. • The state or quality of being clear or bright; brightness; conspicuousness. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conspicuity

10. Don Mitchell’s Memorial

11. Vis Quiz – The best way to boost awareness of a cyclist in the dark/low light is: • 1. Blinking tail light ____ • 2. Solid tail light ____ • 3. Reflective vest ____ • 4. Reflective Sam Browne Belt ____ • 5. Rear facing horn ____ • 6. Reflective ankle bands ____ • 7. Reflective material on cranks ____

12. Biological Motion (Biomotion) • Drivers see and recognize a human form: • Retroreflective material • Worn on moving • Joints

13. Survival Conspicuity - Material • Start with the shiny stuff as it works in the rain/fog/sleet – buy products made with slick retroreflective material - see article in American Randonneur, Reflections on Retroreflectivity http://www.rusa.org/newsletter/08-02-09.html • Go for as much as you possibly can get. • Beware of phrases like “reflective accents.”

14. Survival Conspicuity - Biomotion is the Most Important • Ankle, ankle, ankle • That’s about the only place on a cyclist that • Brings out the biomotion. • Rivendell makes big, fat, slick ankle bands. • They cover the leg and stick out a few inches. • DO NOT SKIMP ON ANKLE BANDS! • You want the “best and the brightest.”

15. Survival Conspicuity – Reflective Clothing • Calculate coverage – how many square inches/centimeters of reflective material? • Look only to the reflective coverage, e.g., some ankle bands have bright colored fabric and only .5 or .75 inches of reflective stripe. • Reflective material that is 90 degrees to the road or close to that is most reflective. • Think about the garment’s angle to vehicle headlights as worn by the cyclist while riding.

16. Moonbeam DIY modification – 4 inch wide strip of slick material sewn to the bottom of the back of visibility vesthttp://www.reflective-stripes.com/product.sc?productId=7&categoryId=6

17. Survival Conspicuity – Camelbak Issue • Put • Your • Camelbak • On • Before • Your • REFLECTIVE VEST OR SAM BROWNE BELT!!!!

18. Viz Quiz – the best way to boost awareness of a cyclist in broad daylight is: • 1. Rear facing horn___ • 2. “Share the Road” decal on top tube___ • 3. Clothing that uses black and colors found in nature like brown, green, eggplant, blue…___ • 4. Clothing that uses retroreflective material___ • 5. Clothing that uses loud colors like Hi-Viz Yellow, Safety Orange___ • 6. #5. mixed in checks or chevrons___

19. Is this conspicuous? • Go to the Rapha, Capo, Castelli, Pearl Izumi, You-Pretty-Much-Name-It cycling clothing company website and click on all the “cool” looking black and earth-tones clothing. • In their defense, they are responding to a degree to market-share pressure. Be the pressure and don’t buy these drab and invisible colors and they will go away.

20. Identify the conspicuity items in this photo

21. Traffic Master Jersey – A good examplehttp://www.elevengear.us/trafficmaster.html

22. Survival Conspicuity – Wear clothes that stick out during the vast majority of your riding (Daylight) • Contrasting colors are best • Hi-Viz Yellow • Safety Orange • The two winners (In a 1994 study, “...fluorescent yellow was found to be best detected and fluorescent orange was found to be best recognized against any of the three backgrounds investigated.” (Zwahlen & Vel, abstract) • But these are of little help at night/low-light. • Don’t get lulled into thinking you’re safer just by wearing these colors at night.

23. Survival Conspicuity – Distractions = Competition for Driver Attention • GPS • Cell Phone • Cars and Buses • Signs and Scenery • Pedestrians and animals • Threat level highest in urban environments so APPLY Survival Conspicuity to your COMMUTE

24. Survival Conspicuity – Fashion Quiz • Would you rather: • 1. Look good on the bike and be hurt/dead?___ • 2. Look like a clown on the bike and be alive?___ • If you selected #2 then consider wearing your L2s visibility vest always (that means on your commute, brevets, permanents, centuries, double centuries, training rides, etc.).

25. Survival Conspicuity – Tail Lights • Which is more important? • Your fellow riders not liking your bright lights? • Getting killed/hurt by a car because you did not have the brightest lights? • Always move up with the technology, e.g., Planet Bike Super Flash .5 Watt was the best but PB Turbo Flash = 1 Watt can and should be used in daylight too.

26. Survival Conspicuity – To flash or not to flash? • Randonneurs must have A steady light. • Some run that and one or several flashing. • Flash or steady is personal. • The point is to have good • LIGHTS (plural) • Multiple lights are part of the Rando ethos of back-up.

27. Survival Conspicuity – Multiple Tail Lights • “Volagi” mount (brake bridge) http://volagi.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/how-to-making-a-mount-for-a-planet-bike-superflash/ • Seat-stay mount • Helmet mount • Are much better than one • Is this obnoxious? • Yes. • Does it make you more conspicuous? • Yes and that is more important than anything.

28. Survival Conspicuity - Aim • Not about alerting Martians • Aim for the Earthlings • No seat-bag, seat-pack, Carradice bag, pannier, Camelbak, mounting of lights as too much variation • Have a friend help by looking at the light from several distances, e.g., 50, 100, 200, 300, 500 meters to determine optimal positioning.

29. Survival Conspicuity – Always Ride with lights on • Cars turn their lights on during the day. • So can you! Increases conspicuity by day • Many lights designed to be seen by day: • Planet Bike Turbo Flash • Portland Design Works Radbot • Dinotte • Etc.

30. Survival Conspicuity – Front Lights • Have good ones. • Have a back-up. • Daytime running lights – an idea whose time has come • Endorsed by Robert Choi, inventor of the LED tail light!

31. Survival Conspicuity – Reflective bikes and bits • Powder coated reflective paint rims and frames • Stick-on bits of reflecto on cranks, seat stays, helmets (up high so visible in areas with many cars), etc. • Strands of bendable lights to wrap the frame with. • Reflective strips on tires and spoke lights. • Lights that project the image of a bike lane. • All communicate that the driver is approaching a cyclist.

32. Survival Conspicuity – Organize! • Join a/several bike coalitions: • http://www.napabike.org/ • http://www.bikesonoma.org/ • http://marinbike.org/Index.shtml • http://www.sfbike.org/ • http://www.ebbc.org/ • http://bikesiliconvalley.org/group/santa-clara

33. Survival Conspicuity – Organize! • Amplify your voice with a chorus by joining a coalition or several coalitions. • Support programs that lead to greater driver cognition and awareness of cyclists in daylight, at night, and in low-light. • Ride with others in low-light or at night. • Ride with others in daylight.

34. Daytime Riding • Helmet + • Ankle Bands + • Conspicuity Vest + • Daytime Strength Tail Lights + • Daytime Strength Front Light = • SAFETY or greater safety

35. Night Time Riding • Helmet + • Ankle Bands + • Conspicuity Vest + • Daytime Strength Tail Lights + • Night Time Strength Front Light (s) = • SAFETY or greater safety

36. Holmgren’s Second Law of Cycling Survival • You should always try to be more conspicuous!

37. Thanks • To the science gals and guys at Queensland U out there in Brisbane, Australia. http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/opt/research/driving/visibility.jsp • FEMA http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/fa_323.pdf • They study this stuff and publish so that I can lift much of it verbatim and put it on the screen. • Thanks to them and thanks to all the researchers working on this life and death issue.