this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2024
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Fuck Cars

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Edit: to clarify: the message in the ad is actually ironic/satirical, mocking the advice for cyclists to wear high-viz at night.

It uses the same logic but inverts the parts and responsabilities, by suggesting to motorists (not cyclists) to apply bright paint on their cars.

So this ad is not pro or against high-viz, it's against victim blaming

Cross-posted from: https://mastodon.uno/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/113544508246569296

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[–] frayedpickles@lemmy.cafe 37 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The number of dumbasses I see biking against traffic with no lights wearing black well after dark is too high for me to find this remotely serious.

Also, cars have a dozen reflectors, daytime running lights, and a ton of safety mechanisms.

Tldr: meme better, this is wrong and unsafe

[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 5 points 3 days ago

A lot of the posts here read like the OPs don't actually know anything about cars. Or roads. Or traffic laws. Or common sense.

[–] weker01@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 days ago

I actually fully agree with the message. Bring back bright colors for cars!

Also participating in traffic at night is always a risk so wearing at least a bit of high-viz is just to minimize that. It's not like we are wearing it in jobs for the look.

[–] FatCat@lemmy.world 73 points 4 days ago (6 children)

The satire misses the mark since cars already have strict mandatory visibility requirements by law. In the EU, you must have working headlights, brake lights, turn signals, daytime running lights (since 2011), fog lights, reverse lights, and reflectors. Driving without any of these gets you fined, points on your license, and fails vehicle inspection (TÜV/MOT). These aren't optional safety suggestions like cyclist hi-viz - they're legal requirements with real penalties.

I don't know about yankee laws...

[–] Tudsamfa@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Huh? Could you explain once more why this doesn't work?

Keep in mind that cycling also has a lot of visibility requirements, it is illegal to drive without lights at night, you need to have reflectors front, back, in the spokes and on the pedals. This also results in fines and points on your drivers license. Keep any remarks on enforcements for yourself, car drivers don't check or even fix their headlights the moment they break either as my last few drives showed me.

Comparing the optional wearing of hi-vis west to the optional painting cars a brighter colour makes sense when the goal is to mock the immediate question "well, was the cyclist wearing hi-vis?" that always seem to pop up when a crash happens.

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[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 114 points 4 days ago (13 children)

To be fair, cars have headlight and taillights.

Here in Sweden cars are required to allways have their headlights on when the car is moving, making them far easier to see even during the day.

It us frankly one of the most annoying things about crossing the street when being abroad, cars having their headlights off during the day, it is much more difficult to see if a car is moving if it has the headlights turned off, than if they are on.

[–] sepiroth154@feddit.nl 23 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Bikes have lights too though?

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 14 points 4 days ago (12 children)

That is not a requirement, you to have to have front and rear reflectors, I don't remember if side reflectors are required or not.

One thing that a lot of bikes has that is illegal here but ignored by the police, is a flashing front light.

Rear lights can absolutely be flashing, but front lights can't.

[–] sepiroth154@feddit.nl 27 points 4 days ago

Depends on the country you live in 😂 here they are absolutely required and also are not allowed to be blinking.

[–] lud@lemm.ee 14 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

They are actually required at night. https://www.transportstyrelsen.se/sv/vagtrafik/Trafikregler/Cyklist-mopedist-motorcyklist/Trafikregler/Regler-for-cykel/

Reflectors are also required.

And yeah the rear light are allowed to flash.

I still agree that cars are way more visible.

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[–] xigoi@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 4 days ago (8 children)

Wait what? There are countries where you can drive without headlights?

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[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 37 points 3 days ago (3 children)
[–] SirQuackTheDuck@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Bikes have lights on them too.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)

From my experience, usually they don't. Even the ones that do aren't to the same degree as a car is required to. I want biking to be better than driving, so this is not an anti-bike comment. Maybe we need to add a requirement for bikes to have lights like we require for cars?

[–] SirQuackTheDuck@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

In this thread: difference in worldwide laws. In the Netherlands you get fined 65+ eur per broken or missing light on your bike. Checks are frequent.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago

That's good! I guess that's the difference between viewing it as a utility vehicle and a recreational one. In the US it's almost always seen as recreation only.

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[–] Mrfiddles@feddit.nl 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Unless you're in the Netherlands, where 2/3rds of the bikes will have the shitty "this is legally a light" LEDs from the convenience shops... Oh, and 2/3rds of those will be either out of battery, or installed facing the wrong way.

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[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 days ago

Ideally. In the US you regularly see peeps riding without even reflectors. It’s insanity.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

That's legally required? Every bike has a light on it by law?

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[–] HowManyNimons@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Good question. Yes they do. Hope that helped!

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago

Cars have lights on them?

Yes, yes they do.

[–] magikmw@lemm.ee 47 points 4 days ago (13 children)

It's funny, but as a driver and a cyclist, the amount of times I barely saw the person on the bike, because they had no hi viz, no lights and no reflectors (and black/dark clothing), even in moderately good visibility conditions is too damn high.

It's not that big of a deal in cities, but I'd be really pushing it to ride my bike out on a 70+ kmph road, and you'd have to hold me at gunpoint to do it without any lights, because I'd be as good as dead anyway.

Of course black cars are kinda the same, except here in Poland every car is required by law to have at least position lights on at all times (yes, sunny daylight too), and it makes a world of a difference no matter the paint color.

[–] JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee 14 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I prefer when all people occupying the road, whether its a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, car, or horse rider be as visible as possible.

Its why I refuse to drive a gray or silver car. They blend in with the pavement at certain times in the am and pm and if it's raining really hard they disappear. In a lot of ways they are worse than black cars.

What's wrong with making sure you are visible? Why is that something to make fun of? (I'm not asking you directly, I just don't get the joke in the ad.)

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[–] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 11 points 3 days ago

I think any bike intended for road use should be equipped with lights

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[–] SuperSpruce@lemmy.zip 25 points 3 days ago

When I'm on the road, I want to be visible. On my red motorcycle I wear a bright yellow helmet and a jacket with hi-viz strips. The problem is that car manufacturers only offer boring colors and charge an exorbitant fee for a cool color if they offer them at all.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It's not victim blaming, it's practicality. You can be right, and still be dead. Motorbikers have the same problem as us pedalbikers

[–] lgsp@feddit.it 1 points 2 days ago

It's victim blaming because you are acting on the wrong side of the problem: in every field where you need to mitigate some danger, self protection is the last thing to do, not the first. The first thing to do is to act on the source of danger: avoid (es. bike infrastructure) and mitigate (es: redice speed, less cars, less dangerous cars...)

[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 30 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I only wear hi-vis to take one more excuse away from the driver when they hit me. It doesn't actually help people see me in my experience.

[–] M600@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

In my city, the roads are not lit very well so high vis helps me see bikers a lot better.

[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 19 points 4 days ago

Cars used to have lots of reflectors on them in the 1980 and 90's. Especially I'm the head and taillight clusters.

Cars should also be required to have high vis strips like commercial vehicles.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Cars should be bright as fuck. A bright red, orange, green, or yellow car stands out way more than the black, white, beige and gray shit that dominates the road.

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[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago

Can confirm. My car is that colour. Am yet to collide with a cyclist.

[–] doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 3 days ago (5 children)

That bimmer looks sick

Not sure if the intended message is really coming through...

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago

Seconding this opinion; I really wish non-commercial vehicles were prohibited from defaulting to black/white/silver/grey - being back the skittles colour palette!

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[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (7 children)

I get the sentiment here but as I'll always say the car wins.

You can't call it a death machine and then act like it's not one.

Cars have lights built in. Humans don't. Wear the fucking highvis and save your life.

Either that or start wearing light strips all over yourself.

[–] FireRetardant@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Okay but hear me out here, we design streets where bikes and cars don't have to share a lane. Crazy idea i know.

We should design streets for the cyclists and drivers we have, not the ones we want.

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[–] Spezi@feddit.org 12 points 4 days ago

I drive a Smart 451 which was silver initially. I can‘t count the amount of times that trucks and cars on the highway cut me off. At first I thought they were just assholes, but now I think its partly because its such a small car that the silver blends in with the street.

Two years ago, I wrapped my car in bright neon orange as part of an ad campaign from my company and it feels like I‘m getting noticed much more often. It‘s literally like a high vis west for my car.

[–] DarkSirrush@lemmy.ca 15 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I thought I bought a blue car. It was advertised as blue, paint job clearly said blue, the rendered image of the color was blue. My insurance paperwork states it is blue (as that's what the NVIS calls it).

In real life, i have a black car. The blue pigment is so dark that is black, except in very specific, harsh lighting at certain angles. And then you can see it sparkles blue.

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[–] Randelung@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Seeing as many people drive WITHOUT LIGHTS

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