Abstract
Most traffic-related pedestrian fatalities occur at night, and insufficient conspicuity of pedestrians’ clothing is recognized to be a key causal factor. In an effort to explore the demand for conspicuity-enhancing garments we examined the attitudes of 166 university students about nighttime conspicuity problems and their interest in (and willingness to purchase) these clothing items. We found that when it comes to their own conspicuity at night pedestrians are too often overconfident and uninformed. Participants generally believed that wearing brightly colored clothing or a reflective vest made them visible to drivers at night and generally did not believe that wearing reflective markings on their ankles and wrists would make them more visible than a reflective vest. Despite having reported that visibility issues were usually not important factors when purchasing athletic garments, most participants reported being willing to pay slightly more for athletic garments (shorts, shirts/jackets, and shoes) that contain reflective markings.
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