One way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to not put yourself in that position. This is obviously the ideal situation but not always possible in busy traffic or on days when visibility isn’t as good as it could be. We may feel the need to try to make us more visible and for that we have Hi-Viz gear. Not to everyone’s taste, but potentially a lifesaver nonetheless.  Look at the two pictures here and see how they differ. Doesn’t the Hi-Viz vest make the rider stand out even on a day with reasonable visibility? A white helmet or some reflective strips on boots or jackets can also make you pop out from the background. The use of headlights is not only mandatory but just makes good sense. Headlight or taillight strobe devices are more controversial. In some states they do not conform to local or state laws and although they are easily seen they can confuse the sense of depth perception leaving the motorist unsure of what your speed is or how close you are to them. For a longtime it was thought that using lots of colors in your riding gear helped the visibility of the motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian because drivers would do a double take at the combination of colors and that would unconsciously force them to recognize you. More recent accident data has suggested that this is actually counterproductive and breaks the mental connection that the whole shape is that of a human. It is better to have one common color for the arms, legs, and trunk because our sense of self preservation and social law programs us not to harm another being. Therefore the more you can do to project your human shape into the eyes and consciousness of another driver increases the chance of being recognized and social law takes over from there. There is something that else you can do that is often overlooked when the subject of safety is discussed and that is Eye Contact. The sooner you can make eye contact with a motorist the better it is. Maintain it for a second or so and nod at the same time. This helps by associating the nod of the head with recognition or camaraderie. Who wants to harm someone you know, even if the feeling of familiarity only resides in the sub-conscious? 

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