How Hi-Viz (High Visibility) Riding Gear Saves Multiple Lives

Last Updated on March 22, 2022

Hi-viz moto gear saves multiple lives by being highly visible and protective. When it comes to maximizing your overall safety for every ride you go on, hi-viz gear is the best gear that you can get.

When you increase your visibility then you increase the odds of being seen while you’re riding around. Drivers that are around you will take note and take extra precaution if they notice a motorist.

That’s what this post is about – to highlight how hi-viz gear is the absolute best choice when it comes to maximizing your safety while riding your motorcycle.

High Visibility = Maximum Safety Levels

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It’s one thing to simply have highly protective gear that has all of the bells and whistles when it comes to impact and abrasion resistance but, especially for night riders, hi-viz gear takes safety up another notch when it comes to staying safe.

At night, it’s hard to see in the first place for everyone driving around – cars and bikes. On top of that, drivers are typically more tired at night and don’t think twice about trying to notice anything else while driving.

If you’re decked out in a full set of hi-viz gear then odds are that the headlights of a car are going to shine brightly on you and drivers are definitely going to take a heavy notice to avoid hitting you.

Compared to regular gear that doesn’t even have a little bit of reflective features on it… It’s a night and day difference.

Reflections catch the eyes of anyone when their headlights shine across them. This is why you see people riding bicycles that have plenty of reflective pieces of either gear or tape all over their bike and clothes – it’s proven to help!

You can find all sorts of hi-viz features for almost every piece of riding gear out there. Helmets, jackets and gloves are the most prominent pieces for hi-viz protection but even hi-viz reflective tape on your gear and your ride helps out.

Hi-Viz Moto Helmets

You’ll find that all sorts of helmets have a hi-viz style choice or that some helmets are made specifically for being hi-viz.

Whether it’s a bright yellow helmet or a bright color in general – it’ll help with standing out a bit more while you are riding.

Although not as effective as a helmet made specifically for high visibility, I have used a bright neon blue mohawk on my helmet. This helped with folks to notice me and take note of my existence.

The helmet is the most important piece of gear when it comes to hi-viz gear as a whole. Your head sticks out more than the other areas where you can have high visibility.

Some bikes will cover your chest area or the gloves but your head is always visible so if you’re going to have any one piece of hi-viz gear – have it be your helmet.

Hi-Viz Moto Jackets

Jackets come next in importance when it comes to hi-viz equipment. If a car is coming at you from the side, the jacket is going to be extremely noticeable once their headlights are shining at you.

Reflective tape on your jacket helps as well and some pieces of gear have built-in reflective piping so that there is at least a little bit there to help you be noticed… But nothing will beat the bright yellow high-viz coloring.

When it comes to covering every angle for “reflectiveness” – a hi-viz jacket is a must have.

Hi-Viz Features On Your Motorcycle & Your Rides

Reflective tape, LED lights in your motorcycle and/or reflective decals – it all helps.

Adding on reflective tape and/or reflective decals on your bike and helmet will shine bright whenever headlights shine past you and you should heavily consider tagging some on if you aren’t wearing any reflective gear at all.

Some riders have LED lights in their motorcycle and it’s not just because it makes their bike pop from them thinking it looks awesome (which I think they always look great) but it’s also to help your bike stand out at night for other drivers!

Same goes for those of us that wear a mohawk or other bright, highly noticeable accessories on our helmets – it’s more than simply an expression of style. It really helps to stand out more while on our rides.

Consider Getting Hi-Viz Gear

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Any single piece of hi-viz gear can help to significantly increase your chances of being spotted while you’re out there enjoying your motorcycle.

When riding at night – hi-viz helmets help exponentially in that regard.

I want to encourage you to browse some hi-viz gear the next time that you’re shopping around for your next piece of riding gear.

Or at that very least – try to consider adding on some reflective features to your gear and/or your motorcycle.

We have a thorough guide on the best hi-viz motorcycle helmets that are on the market here on the site. Be sure to check that out if you’re looking to get a hi-viz helmet of your own!

So, are you planning on getting any hi-viz gear?

Do you think that hi-viz gear actually helps you to stay safe? Is style more important to you?

Let us know in the comments below!