Because I often have to catch a pre-dawn bus to get to my job, I was concerned that I wasn't always visible to bus drivers in the darkness. So, I attached a reflector to my lunch box and put on a jogger's vest that was bright orange and had small flashing lights.

The first morning I wore my new gear, the bus zoomed past but then stopped. I ran to catch up with it and, as I boarded, asked the driver, "Didn't you see me?"

"I saw you," he replied, "but I thought you were a road sign."