Higher Visibility Clothing Means Lower Risk

The Federal Highway Administration added part 634, which requires high visibility clothing to be worn by road workers, to Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations. However, besides being required by law, there are countless benefits to wearing high visibility clothing. Being seen from a distance, in limited visibility or at night greatly decreases the odds that you will be struck at by a vehicle. Anyone that is on the roads or anywhere that vehicles operate can benefit from wearing high visibility garments. Road workers, sanitation workers, traffic police, even motorcyclists will benefit from making sure they are seen when on the streets after dark or in inclement weather.

Many employers that require their workers to be near the road will make certain high visibility clothing mandatory. In these cases, there are normally three levels or classes of visibility. Class 1 apparel is made up of a garment, usually a vest that has the minimum amount of high visibility material. While it meets certain minimum safety standards, many employers will not consider Class 1 garments to be appropriate. This is what you are likely to see on a school crossing guard.

Class 2 apparel is similar to class one in that it is often a vest, but class two clothing has a much higher percentage of body space covered with reflective material. The chest and back of the wearer are guaranteed to be covered with highly reflective material. The reflective strips will also be wider and may alternate between a safety color such as orange and reflective silver or be just silver.

Class 3 apparel provides the greatest area of visibility for the worker. It allows the wearer to be easily seen through a full range of body motions at a distance of mile or more. When worn with Class E apparel, such as reflective pants or shorts that have strips of reflective material circling each leg, Class 3 garments make up a Class 3 Ensemble. A Class 3 Ensemble is recommended for road workers on high-speed highways.

While Class 1 garments are not ideal for workers, they are recommended for motorcyclists. Military installations require that all motorcyclists riding through the gates be wearing at least a Class 1 vest. The most common excuse a driver gives for hitting a motorcyclist is “I didn’t see him.” This alone highlights the importance of high visibility clothing when riding a motorcycle.

High visibility clothing allows drivers to see the wearer and take appropriate action much earlier than regular clothing does. As such, the number of lives that are saved daily by highly reflective garments is incalculable. If you are going to expose yourself to the dangers of traffic, you need every advantage you can get!