Speed Vest

1. Skipweasel
   September 18th, 2008 at 6:05 am

   How long before the dibbles pinch someone for speeding citing video evidence of their own jacket?

2. Dale
   September 18th, 2008 at 6:36 am

   Now is that in kph or mph?

3. b°b
   September 18th, 2008 at 7:13 am

   Now thát is very cool. And 15 to 25 Km/h? pah! I can do 70 when the wind is in the right direction.

4. ted
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:30 am

   Show-off.

5. A Noun
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:31 am

   My “awareness of bicyclists” stems from the following:

   1. They run red lights and stop signs all the time

   2. They ride in the middle of the road instead of their lane

   3. They will swerve into traffic at the exact time I am attempting to pass them

   4. They are somehow under the impression that, because these are rural roads, that no one has to use them to…oh…get to work or something. So we have all friggin’ day to follow behind them riding six across (which is illegal here).

   A vest with a speedometer in it is not going to change my “awareness of bicyclists”. Though a “portable hole” would help.

6. SenorMysterioso
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:59 am

   seems like an easy way to get a speeding ticket

7. Ratz
   September 18th, 2008 at 9:06 am

   It’s a very neat idea, though in the UK, you’re not allowed to have /any/ blue lights on your vehicle (as they’re reserved for the emergency services). I wonder how long before some busy body tells them off for it.
   I’d also make it more obvious that it was the speed on your back. When I initially saw that, I thought that it was an automatically updating position jersy for the tour de france etc.

8. gtron
   September 18th, 2008 at 9:08 am

   it has been proven that drivers veer towards objects on the side of the road that distract them - these jackets will lead to the wearers getting hit by cars MORE often.

9. blackjackshellac
   September 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am

   I suspect that it will just encourage readers like “A Noun” to target cyclists more than they already do. My motto when riding (everyday 20km both ways) is to lay low, avoid behaviour like he seems to think is endemic (yes there are bad cyclists, same as there are bad drivers) and “smile and wave”. Works wonders in my relationship with psychopathic drivers like “A Noun”.

10. corey
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am

    Maybe instead of your speed, it should display the message “I don’t stop for red lights or stop signs”.

11. zeytoun
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:48 am

    For those self-righteous ninnies who like to point out that they think bicyclists are scofflaws…

    Statistics consistently show that cyclists are in general more law-abiding than car drivers.

    (Not to mention that 30,000+ people die every year in car accidents in the U.S., making it the leading killer of young people, that car pollution is a huge contributor to global warming, that fuel taxes and car fees don’t begin to cover the costs associated with driving, forcing the other tax-payers to subsidize drivers, that every person on a bicycle makes your life easier as a car driver - giving you more room on the road, and more parking spaces)

    So there.

12. StuckeyJ
    September 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am

    Heh, neat. I think it does need some sort of MPH light on it to make it alittle clearer.

    It would be a cool thing to add at night to become more noticable to drivers. I think I might get tickets with it though, as I usually go over the speedlimit in town.

    I always stop at signs and lights though, the guys that dont are just asking to get hit, and usually they are not wearing helmets too.

13. DUDE!
    September 18th, 2008 at 11:21 am

    Such a pretentious item.

14. eni
    September 18th, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Er…
    While I totally disagree with the premise of the vest, I’ve gotta stick up for bicyclists here. Yeah, I am one, but I also know the ones you’re talking about, and- at least where I come from- the demographic of bike riders who run red lights and stop signs is very small and composed largely of idiot 13 year olds who don’t understand the concept of mortality.

15. SenorMysterioso
    September 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm

    Around here the bicyclists that ignore traffic laws are messengers, delivery people and pedicabs

16. Sofar
    September 18th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    Does it really use a neon display? ‘Cause that’d be really cool. Generally the only time I honk at cyclists is when they ride in my blind spot. If you’re going fast enough to match my speed then please take a second to make sure you can see me reflected in the side mirrors of my crappy station wagon, if you can’t then I can’t see you.

17. K!P
    September 18th, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    @ eni “the demographic of bike riders who run red lights and stop signs is very small and composed largely of idiot 13 year olds who don’t understand the concept of mortality.”

    This depends on the country you s[eaking of, i live in the Netherlands, and most bikers seem to think that red lights are for cars only. (or some weird 18+ stuff).

18. sigh
    September 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    I don’t mind sharing the road with cyclists, but when they impede traffic instead of flow with it, I can’t feel that much sympathy towards them.

19. Carl
    September 18th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    Forget showing off your speed, which is idiotic.

    I was almost in 3 collisions my last time biking home from work.

    All three occasions were women.
    Two were on their cell phones.

    I’m not drawing any conclusions, just presenting the facts.

    (with a jovial grain of salt)

20. PancakeMan
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    I want to see someone strap this on Mark Cavendish. Or maybe Chris Hoy.

21. Courageous Grace
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:57 pm

    @Carl:

    I know what you mean. Most of the worst drivers that I see are women, usually on cell phones. Although one recently was driving with a yellow Labrador on her lap.

    Before anyone gets mad at me for being sexist, know that I am a woman.

    Oh yeah, and when I used to ride my bicycle, I was one of the courteous riders who also used hand signals.

22. PJ
    September 19th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    ZOOBOMB!

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