Research shows cyclists reduce their chances of accidents by wearing reflective clothing Cyclist Matthew Hsu has had an accident involving a car but still wears minimal safety gear. CYCLISTS are putting themselves at risk on the roads by refusing to wear reflective clothing but still blame drivers for crashes, new research has found. Only 34 per cent of surveyed cyclists who crashed in low-light conditions - dawn, dusk or at night - were wearing the safety gear, a Queensland University of Technology optometry researcher found. Only one in five was using lights, but when asked who was at fault, most still pointed their finger at motorists. Post-doctoral fellow Philippe Lacherez surveyed 184 cyclists who had been involved in collisions with cars. He found in many cases the driver "looked but didn't see." "We're concerned that this means cyclists are making themselves more vulnerable by not being adequately visible to an oncoming driver," Dr Lacherez said. We found that crashes disproportionately occurred during low-light conditions such as at dawn, dusk or at night. Dr Lacherez said it was "surprising" 61 per cent of cyclists blamed the crash on driver inattention, with just two of the 184 directly blaming their own visibility. "You tend to find drivers think it is the cyclists" fault and cyclists think it is the drivers," he said. Sharing the road is probably something we are still getting used to in this country. Matt Hsu, 27, who has cycled 5km each way to work every day for the past two and a half years, had his own smash with a car in June. "I was coming from work, it was about 5.20pm and I was turning into Stanley St at South Bank," Mr Hsu, who works in digital marketing for QUT, said. It was completely my fault. It was a red light for me. The car was turning and I didn't see it. The driver breaded and I rolled on the bonnet and fell on the ground. It looked pretty serious, a lot of people crowded round. Mr Hsu was "really lucky" to escape with cuts and bruises and in light of Dr Lacherez's research said he would consider wearing more reflective strips. Cyclists could enhance their chances of being seen with reflective clothing, Dr Lacherez found, and he warned fluorescent clothing was not visible in low light. Cyclists should add reflective strips to their knees and ankles because the pedalling movement makes light from the headlights bounce back to the driver, making it easier to register they are there. Bicycle Queensland chief executive Ben Wilson said the organisation supported research like Dr Lacherez's and had distributed 10,000 reflective anklets to riders. "Legally they aren't required but we believe they are better than a flashing light," he said. The one thing on your bike that definitely moves is your ankles. It is all about the legs.