Didn't really expect much from DrivingUk but honestly the amount of downvotes shocked me. God forbid people go out at night dressed normally without full on high vis.
Reddit Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/drivingUK/comments/1r8fkfo/comment/o65j18p/
this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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I like to point out that if you can't see a person wearing black in time, then you can't see deer in time, or a fallen tree, or a broken-down vehicle, or a garbage bin. It's not the world's responsibility to get out of the way when you're operating your vehicle.
Saying this generally makes drivers very angry. (Well, angrier.)
This is simply incorrect.
Deer are very visible at night due to their reflective eyes, coat (which is not black) and movement. They can be spotted at >150m distance with high beams on. The reason they (and other wildlife) are dangerous is because they can jump into the road at the last moment from behind cover.
Stationary items are usually a very low threat since the driver has a long time to spot them. Bigger ones (such as a tree, bin or car) are also inherently more visible. Also, the worst case is damage to the vehicle.
Adding on, it is usually mandatory for broken down/stopped vehicles to have their hazards on and put out a warning triangle ahead if they are in the road.
As an intelligent being, you are ultimately responsible for your own continued safety. The good news however is that most drivers try to avoid hitting pedestrians.
If you spend a lot of time around traffic at night, a simple reflector tag does wonders to increase your visibility and lets you take more space.
I live in Wisconsin. There are tons of deer here. I know wherefore I speak when I say, if you think that deer are all easily visible, you're Just-Worlding, or kidding yourself. They're not always looking at you; sometimes oncoming headlights hide them. Sometimes the road curves, and your headlights don't illuminate them until the last second. Somehow, drivers don't see them, and there are always roadkill deer on the side of the highway every few miles in season.
But that reminds me of a creature that drivers talk about in near-mysterious terms— black ice. That is usually visible, if you slow down enough to pay attention. It looks like wet pavement.
Just sayin', it's not a bad idea to be visible when walking, but the person engaging in the inherently dangerous activity (driving) has the moral responsibility should something bad happen. It also happens to be a good idea to slow down and not overdrive your headlights.
(My college roommate's brother died that way.)
To clarify, I was referring to visibility of deer and items. The situations you mention here limit the vision of the driver as a whole, and then the visibility of things no longer matters. Where I live we also have lots of deer, but accidents involving deer & other bigger wildlife is uncommon enough to make the local news (and you'll almost never see such roadkill along the roads). During the season I'll see animals several times per week, sometimes having to stop more than once on a single drive.
Nastiest run in I've had was where a group of deer had gotten in between the wildlife fencing on a stretch of highway
Illustration regarding visibility.
That's the part that makes black ice nasty. The temps can be slightly above freezing with wet spots everywhere. Then suddenly one small spot has slightly lower temperature. Bam, black ice.
I agree that drivers have a much larger responsibility, barring reckless behaviour. What I disagree with is driving being inherently dangerous. It's a question of system design. As you mentioned Wisconsin, I assume you live in the US. My condolences.
We should legislate clothing after sunset