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Helmet color and visibility

Just thought this was interesting. No idea how good the info is but I'm sure if white was safer road workers and such would wear it.

https://www.vergesafetybarriers.com.au/yellow-safety-colour/

Why yellow? The science behind it
In order for you to understand why yellow became the official colour for safety, not only in the country but also in other parts of the world, you have to know how our eyes and brain perceive this colour.

When light hits a certain object, the object absorbs some of it, while some are reflected. This reflected light enters our eyes and reaches specialised receptors called cones. These cones get excited as the light hits them and they send signals to the brain. Different light wavelengths stimulate specific combination of cones, making us perceive the different colours. The red and green cones in our retina are highly sensitive to light.

When we see yellow, both of these types of cones are excited to almost peak intensity. In addition to that, other parts of the eye reduce sensitivity to violet and blue light, making yellow appear to be the brightest among all the colours in the spectrum. Another unique characteristic of yellow is that even most colour-blind individuals can see it.

Using yellow as a background for a black text provides maximum visibility and readability whether it’s day or night. This makes yellow the perfect colour for safety signs.





Working in a hospital I just heard over and over "he/she just didn't see me". When it was time to replace my gear I got a high vis jacket. First week I had it was wearing it in Safeway and a lady turns a corner and walks into me, WTF. No amount of high vis will make people watch where their going!!
IMG20180403184304 by Norcalkid, on Flickr
 
Over 42 years of riding, I noticed that my yellow bike got noticed significantly more than all of my other bikes by other drivers. I did have a yellow and black gear as well, though not at first.

However, my Blue Goldwing stands out really well in traffic, it's got a much bigger profile than my other bikes had.

I would say 'Yes', being more visible is worth it, you are increasing your odds of getting home safely by being more visible, every little bit counts.
 
cal scott said:
Scott, this is a safe space. You can admit that your looking for that orange helmet so that it will match your bike :twofinger :teeth
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Already ordered one of these. $120 shipped to my door compared to over $500 for the Shoei or Arai. I have a yellow AFX FX-39 already and although it definitely feels cheaper than any of the Shoei helmets that I've owned, it works.
 

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Personal experience says white and red. People see a red circle and think stop. Green is terrible. I had a green helmet and so many people would cut me off or just go randomly.
 
The one article I recall reading mentioned the color was a little less important than whether it had graphics or not. The gist of it, was that a solid color helmet was more visible. This is because graphics patterns act like camo to make the edges and shape of the helmet less noticeable as a helmet.
 
Charles R said:
The one article I recall reading mentioned the color was a little less important than whether it had graphics or not. The gist of it, was that a solid color helmet was more visible. This is because graphics patterns act like camo to make the edges and shape of the helmet less noticeable as a helmet.
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Makes sense to me.
 
45 years riding on the street. Visibility is a word often thrown about but the bottom line is that car drivers are not looking for motorcycles. They are barely looking for other cars. I not only assume the cars don't see me, I assume they are actively trying to kill me. That works better than anything you can do with your bike or gear.
 
Uk studies years ago concluded white was the *least* visible, which was ascribed to two general reasons:

1, white is a very common colour - white vans and trucks, white cars, white clothing, white/light buildings
2, it is very cloudy in the UK and the white helmets are 'hidden' against grey skies.


True or not, this has led me to prefer helmet colors that are less normal. Well. Sometimes. So fluorescent YELLOW and ORANGE are winners. But patterns are not.
 
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russ69 said:
45 years riding on the street. Visibility is a word often thrown about but the bottom line is that car drivers are not looking for motorcycles. They are barely looking for other cars. I not only assume the cars don't see me, I assume they are actively trying to kill me. That works better than anything you can do with your bike or gear.
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+1 (and Lou would agree) :laughing

I say, buy the very best helmet you can find in terms of fit and protection in any color you like. Don't for a moment think a car will notice you whatever you ride or wear. And neither will deer, dogs, etc.
 
russ69 said:
45 years riding on the street. Visibility is a word often thrown about but the bottom line is that car drivers are not looking for motorcycles. They are barely looking for other cars. I not only assume the cars don't see me, I assume they are actively trying to kill me. That works better than anything you can do with your bike or gear.
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WWWobble said:
+1 (and Lou would agree) :laughing

I say, buy the very best helmet you can find in terms of fit and protection in any color you like. Don't for a moment think a car will notice you whatever you ride or wear. And neither will deer, dogs, etc.
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I follow these lines of thought. I’m always looking for, “the path of destruction" of the vehicles around me, and making adjustments to my traffic positioning. Basically it’s just thinking, "what’s the stupidest thing the cars around me can do right now?" And then moving myself out of the path I think their carnage will take them.

I’ve turned more than a few probable collisions into simple eyebrow raising moments this way.
 
White stands out so much, I notice it over the high vis yellow imo.

Also if you commute the high vis yellow jackets turns into no vis yellow shortly lol
 
As the other posters mentioned, there is no substitute for defensive riding, yet I have noticed that Hi-vis works limits the amount that cars will pull out in front of me like I was not there. I ride a nearly silent motorcycle, so its the the "loud pipes saves lives", its "Loud colors..."
 
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Climber said:
Over 42 years of riding, I noticed that my yellow bike got noticed significantly more than all of my other bikes by other drivers. I did have a yellow and black gear as well, though not at first.
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Well, most people ARE afraid of bees.

:teeth
 
Thanks for all the opinions on this subject and the one useful reference.

RVFRick said:
Hey Scott, a google search for "motorcycle conspicuity" returned this informative site: http://smarter-usa.org/research/conspicuity-highviz/
*Edit. But could be fake news troll site to rid the world or motorcyclists. Just get the cooler looking color coordinating orange helmet.
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The above site has links to a whole bunch of other papers on motorcycle safety with a number of them covering various aspects of conspicuity.

It seems that most of the studies were checking accident rates with and without various enhancers like alternate light configurations or bright clothing. Almost none of it covered just helmet differences.

So the next time somebody claims that studies have shown that white helmets are the most visible, I'll come back with "I'll bet you a hundred dollars that you can't point me at an actual study that says that". Then I'll give them a week to track one down. I'm pretty sure that I'll win. :x
 
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