After being hit by a car whilst riding my motorbike a few years ago, by a driver who said those infamous words “Sorry mate, I didn’t see you”, I’ve been riding with a hi-vis vest ever since, be it daytime or nightime.
When I regained my confidence to ride out after the accident, I wore a plain yellow high visibility vest over my leather jacket but it soon dawned on me that the vest did nothing to help car drivers see me, with cars still pulling out in front of me from side streets at last minute, making my ride out rather dangerous than enjoyable.
After seeing my mother’s equestrian ‘POLITE’ hi-vis waistcoat from Equisafety, I checked out their website and was delighted to see they made a hi-vis waistcoat just for cyclists and motorcycle riders bearing the slogan POLITE Notice, Think Bike on the back of the waistcoat. I purchased the waistcoat directly from Equisafety’s website and have worn it over my leather biker jacket ever since.
It’s been a year since I bought the POLITE waistcoat and I am more than pleased with the results. But what is it about this waistcoat that makes a difference from the plain yellow ones?
From a distance, the Equisafety Think Bike hi-viz vest looks similar to those used by the British police force, particularly due to the blue and silver reflective checks on the shoulders. The print on the back says POLITE in large letters, with Notice, smaller underneath before Think Bike in larger font. Upon first glance, a rider wearing the waistcoat could be mistaken for a police officer, which in most cases will affect the way a motorist uses the road i.e. they’ll drive more carefully. Though this vest is not police issue and does not mention police anywhere, even if the trick of the mind might read POLITE as something else, it does make drivers sit up and pay attention as I have noticed.
Whilst there is still the odd person who pulls out on me at the last moment, I find that when I ride out wearing the waistcoat, motorists act more responsibly. When I used to wear the plain yellow hi-vis vest, I had on average 4 potential incidents per ride from motorists behaving badly. Now I average around 1, if any, cutting down the percentage of potential dangerous situations by other road users by 75% to 100%. Whilst I don’t rely on the waistcoat as a shield, wearing it on my rides out does make me feel safer on the road and boosts my confidence in that I can be seen better. Regardless of wearing a hi-vis vest, I’m always vigilant when riding my motorbike, with my eyes constantly assessing the road but if a simple hi-vis waistcoat bearing the words POLITE Notice helps other road users give me a second look and help them to ‘see’ me, then that’s one advantage to both myself and the driver.
The waistcoat has proved to me to be a solid purchase and from my experience wearing it out on rides, I can definitely enjoy myself more on the motorbike than I did previously. From a bystanders view, it is also effective. I spotted a motorcycle rider wearing the same vest on a busy bypass and it was hard not to see him. The colours and the writing really stand out, and that can only help bikers and riders to remain safe on the road.
I purchased a small Equisafety Polite Notice Think Bike waistcoat, using the measurements to make sure it would fit over my leather jacket, and as you can see from the photographs, it’s a perfect fit.
The lightweight high visibility yellow waistcoat is zip fastened with velcro straps at the side for a better width fitting. The waistcoat features a zip pocket on either side and two reflective stripes placed horizontally on the front and one on the back of the vest. The check design on the shoulders is also reflective.
For any motorcycle rider or cyclist who is in a constant battle to stay safe on the road and feels they aren’t being seen, then this simple yet effective waistcoat is the hi-viz vest of choice and well worth the money (around £33).
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I totally agree I had the same problem always the same sorry did not see you but the purchase of the polite hi vis has stopped me from being knocked off on many occasions although I have had some stick from other bikers I asked the question why and 1 idiot replied they cause accidents because when he comes down the road (speeding obviously) he thinks its the police and has to hit the brakes which could cause him to crash I told him it had saved my bacon on more than 1 occasion and I would continue to wear it
Yeah, other bikers can be very opinionated on the use of the Polite vest for some strange reason, but as I tell them “riding a motorcycle ain’t a fashion parade”. Riding from A to B in one piece is what matters. If you feel like you’re more visible on the road wearing it, then what’s the harm? Almost 10 years later from this review, I still wear mine and have found it to help other motorists to see me. I’m glad you’re also benefiting from it too, David 🙂 Ignore the haters.