Hi Vis Jackets

Why is it that high visibility jackets are currently all over the place?  Safety is the main cause for the rise in fame of hi vis jackets over the last couple of years.  In 1974, with the Health and Safety at Work Act, high vis jackets were launched in the United Kingdom as a cheaper method of protecting workers from dangers. As an increasing number of businesses began encouraging employees to wear hi viz jackets, the fame of the clothing quickly extended and included persons wearing them in various types of jobs and pleasurable activities.  In addition to aiding to increase the visibility of the wearer to others, high visibility jackets possess an aura of protection around them as they are linked to persons like security guards, police and crews providing assistance on the roadside so that persons can immediately see others in high visibility jackets as authoritative figures. This connection is useful for persons who desire to persuade others to view them as authoritative for example bouncers at nightclubs or construction sites foremen.

High visibility jackets function by reflecting light from the headlamps of vehicles and other sources of light to cause the wearer to be more visible in the dark and in terrible weather conditions.  Since the hi vis jacket reflects the light brightly from the headlamps of vehicles, they are perfect for persons who utilize the roads in the dark from milkmen and postmen to joggers and cyclists.  Even though it may appear that high vis jackets are all over the place, it is not a law in the United Kingdom for civilians to have to wear them, even motorcyclists and cyclists do not have to wear a high visibility jacket according to the law.  This could soon be changed since in nearby countries like France, according to the law, drivers have to put on high visibility jackets once their vehicle is disabled on the roadside and they have to come out of it.

If you are frequently outdoors and in the dark, particularly in the winter, then it would be valuable to invest in a high vis jacket to make sure that you can be quickly seen by you co-workers and vehicles on the road as well as other persons when you are not near the roads.

If you ever went jogging in the evening when the sun was setting, you are probably aware that visibility greatly decreases for all persons.  The very last thing that you would desire is to be hit by a vehicle that was not aware of you even if you were on the roadside as the road is narrow in some places.

Another valuable feature of the high vis jacket is that they are generally manufactured with genuine polyester on the exterior to allow it to resist weather conditions such as wind and rain.  Additionally, the high visibility jackets have reflective strips from 3M on the back and front that reflect light shone on them meaning that even if you go to jog in your community, you will be visible from far.