Reflective Clothing for Jogging or Cycling

Regularly biking or running offers numerous health benefits, but without proper safety precautions, your healthy hobby can become dangerous and life-threatening. Between 1999 and 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, reported that pedestrian fatalities were 50 percent more likely between 6 p.m. and midnight. The number of accidents after dark suggests that a lack of visual aid played a role in these accidents, concluded the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, or NHTSA. Safely cycling and running mean dressing defensively during all times of day by wearing plenty of reflective clothing.

  1. Types of Reflective Materials

    • Not all reflective materials reflect the same type of light. For example, yellow and orange fluorescent strips reflect only natural sunlight, not car headlights. This makes wearing fluorescent reflective attachments ineffective outside of broad daylight. However, silver retro-reflective material only reflects directed light beams, such as car lights or a flashlights. Play it safe and wear both types of reflective material when biking or running at dusk or dawn.

    Bigger Is Better

    • Running or biking safely at night means dressing so conspicuously that motorists can't help but see you. Don't settle for clothing with token reflective strips, such as a 1-inch reflective triangle on the waistband or a few delicate reflective stripes on the side seams of a long-sleeve shirt. Instead, choose defensively reflective clothing with reflective strips measuring at least 3 inches wide and 4 inches long.

    Head to Toe

    • One reflective strip on each sneaker won't make you visible in the roadway or at a street intersection. Instead, dress so that each item, from your shoes to your vest, and your helmet or hat, contain reflective strips. Expanding your reflective clothing placement makes your entire body, not just your shoes, visible to motorists. Save money by sewing reflective patches and strips around the neck, wrists, ankles and waist of your favorite running or cycling clothing. Reflective patches are available at any fitness or sporting goods store.

    Reflective Additions

    • A few key pieces of reflective outerwear safely illuminate your body, regardless of the clothing underneath. A reflective vest runs between your shoulders and lower back, creating a wide spectrum of coverage. The vest alternates fluorescent reflective stripes with retro-reflective stripes, making this reflective addition effective any time of day or night. Wearing Velcro reflective wrist and ankle straps also makes you more visible when signaling turns at intersections. Wash the bands after exercising with soap and water to prevent foul-smelling bacteria buildup.