Is anyone actually saying that HiViz will protect a rider from collisions?
I think not but try telling a soldier in Afghanistan to leave his camo gear back at base, go on patrol wearing a HiViz jacket and see what the reaction is.
I suspect he may decline because his camoes make him less easy to see, not because it will prevent him from becoming a target.

As for the H-belt 'crossing-guard' look; in the UK, Lollipop men and women wear full-length HiViz coats.
I don't often get the hump on here but that remark is patronizing in the extreme.
I can wear my H-belt over any of my jackets, winter or summer, and am therefore not restricted by it or to it.

It's interesting reading about attitudes to wearing Hi Viz gear, here in the UK and in Germany and the Benelux countries you see riders wearing it almost on a daily basis. I've had holidays over in the US for the last two years and I can't remember seeing any riders wearing it. Just a uniform Easy Rider look of black leather, engineers boots, fingerless gloves, brain bucket helmets, and wraparound shades. I thought at least I would see an Aerostich clad rider or two out on the Interstates, and I didn't spot one of those either.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the riders in the US ride 'Cruisers' in all their flavors, where 'the LOOK' is all important. Goldwing riders are a mix of textile jackets, leather, and a few hi-viz. BMW riders are very likely to have some type of hi-viz on, be it a helmet, jacket, or variants of the H belt/vest (or all of the above). I wear a black mesh jacket with hi-viz piping on it. It probably doesn't do much good during the day, but it lights up like a neon sign at night. My next jacket will be hi-viz.

I'm only upset by dirty Tennessee bathrooms. Maybe they should consider Hi-Viz toilet paper.

I dress bright on the cycle and can handle the "image damage" of the the hi viz. lt is a better look than than how I would look in a casket(wearing a dark suit). I will be wearing that dark suit for a long long time, so while I have a choice I am going all out bright. You should see the bright colors of the bike jerseys I wear while bike riding. I was one of the first people I know to wear bike helmets when they were way uncool and looked like crude hockey helmets. Hi viz helps me manage the risk of riding to the extent that I can. Almost anything reasonable I can do to tip the risk in my favor I will do.

I just traded my old blue mesh jacket for a day glo Firstgear Mesh Tex Jacket. Man, that thing is HI VIZ. I really don't give a rat's ass whether anyone thinks I look like a crossing guard or not. And, what's wrong with the crossing guard look? If you're more worried about what other people think about how you look, rather than about what would happen to your ass if it goes sliding down the pavement, then have at it. I'm 74 years old, and I've reached the DGARA stage on most everything.

Check out the reviews for this jacket:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/39/22216/ITEM/Fieldsheer-Slip-On-Jacket.aspx

"you can remove the pads from shoulders cuz they kinda look weird."

"The armadillo armor appears to be good quality, but I did remove the shoulder armor. They were just too goofy looking and uncomfortable."

"the shoulder pads are unusually large. My girlfriend wouldn't stop calling me linebacker, so I had to remove them for fear of looking like a goof."

Most people will almost always sacrifice safety if they think something makes them not look cool.

The original post was about whether wearing hi viz made you look like a newb, wasn't it?

I contend that while most people will claim that they don't care how they look, most people care about how they are perceived a lot more than they let on, and that that's okay too.

Wanting to look cool is fine, even important to some people. If you TRULY HONESTLY don't care about how you look, that's great for you, but this thread isn't for you.

There is a stigma attached to wearing some safety gear in certain places to certain people. I know you shouldn't care if some strangers somewhere are laughing at you, but I think you'll find that most people at the very least want to know if it is happening, and might care about it.

The fact is, if something makes me look foolish, I don't wear it. I'll find something else to wear or I'll not do the activity that requires it. I don't like feeling foolish or having to explain myself to people.

That is not to say that wearing Hi Viz makes you look foolish. I don't think it always does. But some people do, and just saying "it doesn't matter if you look foolish" isn't helping. I personally think riding a motorcycle wearing flip-flops and shorts makes you look REALLY foolish, and I'd never do it.

I'm not 74 and if I'm lucky enough to live that long I hope I still care how I look, at least a little bit. My wife's grandmother is 93 and she still cares a great deal about her appearance. I'd say looking dignified is the most important thing to her. She's earned every bit of her dignity.

I know your priorities change as you get older, and you definitely don't care as much about "being cool." I know my attitudes have changed vastly from when I was younger and stupider. Maybe I'm still stupid but I still care how other people see me sometimes. And I don't think there's anything wrong with it. And I also don't think I'm alone.

After a time Hi Viz gear can look really scruffy, it gets dirty from road spray and sunlight fades it. I've got an Italian made Clover jacket and the hi viz yellow panels on it have faded and look grubby. I occasionally wash and reproof it, but who wants to be doing that all the time just to look presentable.

I really like what Olympia Moto Sports produce, and they have some quality hi viz gear like the Bushwhacker and AST jackets, and the Phantom one piece suit. The downside is road spray is going to make them look decidedly second hand within a year unless you're wearing a rainsuit over them, and that kind of defeats the object of buying the hi viz versions.

DuggleBogey, I don't believe you have any authority to say what thread is for whom, sorry. The thread is as titled. I believe the OP wanted comments from all of us. That includes those who believe high viz is important as well as those who believe "cool" is the thing. You're entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to tell me what opinion I can post.

Meldrew, most rain suits I've seen are high viz so you can have both - protect your jacket from spray yet remain high viz. The jacket's right there when the weather breaks and you remain high viz of course. Admittedly not a big concern for me here in Texas. It almost never rains here and what little it does my jacket's rainproof zip-out shell is quite sufficient enough to handle.

When I said the thread wasn't "for" you I meant it wasn't about you. I think that's fairly obvious.

And please point out to me where I tell you what opinions you can post? I encourage everyone to post their opinions on every topic on this board. To suggest otherwise offends me.

You're still wrong. It is indeed as much about me and anyone else who believes in high viz and what it looks like "cool" or otherwise. You're not in any position to say what thread is for whom.

Folks - this is on the verge (about 3 pages ago) of being about less than nothing. Time to thumb noses and walk away.

No "pissing contest" where legs cannot get wet is very satisfying.

Walk away and let it go.

Okay, I will try to explain myself a third time for you.

When I said "this thread is not for you" it pretty obviously means "you may not gain a lot of insight from what people say in this thread because it may not apply to you."

You seem intent on taking it some other way as a means of insulting me. I have ABSOLUTELY ZERO agenda of stifling anybody's opinion on this board. NONE.

And Dale, I do not intend to let someone imply that I do when everyone knows that has never been and never will be the case.

And I disagree that the thread is about nothing. When people talk about safety gear on here it sometimes seems to me that people say "whatever is safest is always best" and I disagree with that.

If it were purely a pissing contest about high viz or cool I'd agree, with you. However, it has been stated who this thread is "for" and who it is not. I'll object to that always. I'm done though.

You took it as an insult when none was intended and you respond with an insult. Nice job.

What's worse?
A dirty Hi-Viz jacket or a dirty Tennessee bathroom?

I guess I was right in thinking people had some strong opinions about cool vs High Viz huh?

Hi-viz and cool are not mutually exclusive. =)

Cool-viz!