One of the best ways to stay safe on your bike is to wear a bright color that stands out against the black and gray of the road. Maybe bikes and helmets are black, so you can really blend in if you choose the wrong apparel.
When looking for the brightest options, many people settle on orange. There’s a reason that orange is often worn during hunting season in Texas, after all. It’s a very noticeable color that stands out in most light conditions.
But is that the best you can do?
It’s actually not. The color that people find to be the most visible is a bright green, bordering on yellow. Researchers figured this out when studying the human eye and watching on an intricate level to see how it actually processes and reacts to different colors. Bright green got the most reaction and drew the most attention.
It’s also important to remember that any color fades at night. That’s why it’s so important to have reflective material on your clothes, your helmet or your bike — or all three.
That’s not to say that other colors — red, orange, yellow — won’t help. They’re all better than black and gray. They can all help keep you safe. But, if avoiding accidents is your main goal, you need a bright green.
Naturally, you can get hurt in a car accident no matter what color you wear. With issues like distracted driving and drunk driving, nothing guarantees that drivers will see you. If you suffer serious injuries, you need to know what rights you have to compensation.