Reflections on reflecting

[RWL2222]

Starting a thread here rather than drifting [an earlier one on a specific brand].

I see lots of cyclists--casual and serious, college students and commuters--riding in dark clothes, with no reflectors or lights. In bright daylight, with the sort of strobe effect of sunlight and shadows, or at night, I find it hard to see them. Aside from lights, the biggest opportunity I see for adding visibility is where there is motion at work--with reflector tape on the rims, and reflectors on the pedals. Next is clothing colors. Yet in the industry it seems safety doesn't sell. I recently outfitted my son's college bike with reflector tape, because I know that he and the friends who use his bike are not going to use the lights I gave him. Yet I rarely (never?) see reflector tape on bikes. Serious riders in all black--on a black bike no less--will do what they want. But if the industry marketing view is that black is what sells, it seems like there's room for innovation to have it both ways.