269 cyclists rode with mounted equipment which measure the distance from a corner. Some of them drove in everyday clothes, while others have used the costumes typical bicycle, others wore helmet or safety vest. The experimental results can be shocking – only one item of clothing actually improves the safety of the cyclist (or more precisely – no matter what the distance from the car ahead of us). This vest was printed with the word “police.”
The measurements made by the Universities of Bath Brunnel and the average distance between the cyclist and the car ahead of it were 117 cm – regardless of what was dressed cyclist. Also, regardless of dress, 1-2 percent of drivers ahead of cyclists not maintaining a safe distance and passing only 50cm from them.
This is another study showing that vest, reflectors and other special clothing may enhance well-being bicyclist and drivers and allowing to be more visible ( although there are doubts ), but in no way translates to a safer distance between the car and the cyclist at overtaking, or at least minimal improvement in the safety of the rider.
If you want to increase your visibility and safety, the researchers suggest dressing up in vests with “police” (actually “police” because the study was done in the UK). These actually have a positive effect on the behavior of drivers. The study showed that the police vest garment with reflective tape increases the mean distance between the bicycle and the car ahead of it to 122cm, or about 5 cm.
Unfortunately, the use of vests with the inscription of civilians by police in Poland is against the law. On the websites you can find for it vests with the inscription “Poland”, “Police” or “I’m with the Police” ( “I am” written in very small font), which from a distance effectively imitate the reflective vest used by our brave uniformed .
Regardless of how we dress on the bike, it is worth remembering that the dress code is much more important how we behave on the road.