Front Light for daytime

[meic]

So what do you suggest, meic?

That if you want daylight lights on your bike go ahead and have them.
If you want to disable the DRLs on your car go ahead and do so.

[Samuel D]

I sense exasperation, meic. Sorry.

I would suggest playing around with concepts of reverse psychology. As a thought experiment if cyclists never had lights day or night, how much more risk would result. There is perhaps a possibility that drivers behaviours would change as they had to work harder to see cyclists and be more attentive as a result.

This experiment has been running for years in Paris, where hoards of stealth ninja cyclists ride home at midnight dressed in black from head to toe (the Parisian’s preferred colour) with not a light in sight. Nobody drives into them.

My gut says making a driver strain to identify the obstacle you present may sometimes be a good thing. Ideally they’d be forced to dab the brake pedal before ploughing a hundred horsepower into the road to pass you.

I do something in between: good German lamps in darkness but nothing in daylight and no high-vis clothing, flashers, or other tasteless concessions to drivers’ incompetence at any time unless strictly required. I think that’s the most civilised approach.

[meic]

I sense exasperation, meic. Sorry.

The majority of the population think it is too dangerous to even be on the bike on the roads in the first place.
If anybody has made the step of getting on a bike, they have already contributed enormously by getting out of their car. It shouldnt be compulsory to take on all of the world's traffic problems just because you have made a step towards the solution. If somebody feels happier to go out cycling having made efforts to promote their own personal safety (even above that of others) that is fine by me because they are not actually contributing to the danger in the same way as the millions of drivers around them are.
It isnt a case of everything or nothing. A cyclist with daytime lights etc etc, has already seriously compromised their safety (perceived or real) compared to staying in the diesel. Let us not set the hurdle to cycling even higher.

There is a certain breakdown in logic to claim simultaneously that the lights do not improve your personal safety while at the same time saying that they disadvantage those without.

[pwa]

And a flashing light is easy enough to fit and keep going. If it makes you feel better, do it.

[Ivor Tingting]

Flashing bike lights are a menace as are the cyclists who use them. They should be banned.

[ian s]

Like many others before me, I detest the idea of lights during daylight hours, and I therefore urge you not to use lights during daylight hours

[pwa]

Like many others before me, I detest the idea of lights during daylight hours, and I therefore urge you not to use lights during daylight hours

I respect your point of view, and I don't myself use lights in good daylight, but what do you think the chances are of reversing the trend towards daytime lights? My own feeling is that it is happening whether I like it or not.

I'd not direct any ill feeling towards a cyclist with daytime lights. Like Meic, I'd just be glad they are joining me on the road.

[old_windbag]

There's clearly a big division again with regards to drl's on cyclists. So many topics divide opinion to extremes, helmets, hi-viz/reflectives, rear light brightness, now drl's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY

I think the viewpoint often stated is "well it's up to drivers to look for me without lights, if they can't see me they shouldn't be on the road". Unfortunately there are lots of things we don't see, simply the way our brains work in processing huge amounts of visual and audible information in a fast"ish" time, it sometimes does not pass everything to our concious mind selectively choosing what it feels important to cognition.

I once responded to a post that roughly stated "I applied the brakes before I saw the bus moving into my path", I said subconciously your brain was responding to events prior to your concious mind being made aware. Also another said "any driver pulling out on them was an idiot and shouldn't be driving"...... well up to a point maybe, but in complicated traffic situations we don't know what someone else has uncontrollably blanked out without ever being concious of it. There's a lot more going on than just "I'm a cyclist they should be looking for me".

It's also worth watching david englemans "The Brain" which opens up many avenues of interesting brain behaviour. One was the starting of a 100m race by gun, then light......... even though the sound travels slower than light the processing time to respond to a light signal is slower overall hence starting the race by sound.

Oh when I read of ninja cyclists that really does hit the highs of arrogance which we don't need, we need to be more co-operative to each other and recognise each others place/right on the road.

[mercalia]

just get a seeme jacket and KEEP IT CLEAN AND RENEW IT FREQUENTLY

lights that would do any good would be very powerful and therefore not last long, would have to be pointed directly ahead to beam to the car/lorry drivers eyes?

[pwa]

just get a seeme jacket and KEEP IT CLEAN AND RENEW IT FREQUENTLY

lights that would do any good would be very powerful and therefore not last long, would have to be pointed directly ahead to beam to the car/lorry drivers eyes?

I know others will disagree (fair enough) but I also believe that in daylight if you want to be noticed you will have more visual impact with clothing than lights.

[thelawnet]

just get a seeme jacket and KEEP IT CLEAN AND RENEW IT FREQUENTLY

lights that would do any good would be very powerful and therefore not last long, would have to be pointed directly ahead to beam to the car/lorry drivers eyes?

I know others will disagree (fair enough) but I also believe that in daylight if you want to be noticed you will have more visual impact with clothing than lights.

I saw a cyclist yesterday around 5:30pm (I was driving one way, he was filtering past the traffic coming the other), he had lights of the sort discussed here, and I can say with certainty it was far more noticeable than hi-vis jackets, if only because it was unusual to see a semi-flashing light, whereas a hi-vis jacket doesn;t really register.

[mjr]

I saw a cyclist yesterday around 5:30pm (I was driving one way, he was filtering past the traffic coming the other), he had lights of the sort discussed here, and I can say with certainty it was far more noticeable than hi-vis jackets, if only because it was unusual to see a semi-flashing light, whereas a hi-vis jacket doesn;t really register.

Just think of the flashes of the light as F... U... F... U... to all other unlit people/objects on/near the road.

[old_windbag]

Just think of the flashes of the light as F... U... F... U... to all other unlit people/objects on/near the road.

Or possibly think of them as Thank...U...Thank...U for being aware of me filtering through and leaving me the space

[mjr]

Just think of the flashes of the light as F... U... F... U... to all other unlit people/objects on/near the road.

Or possibly think of them as Thank...U...Thank...U for being aware of me filtering through and leaving me the space

Ohhh so now you're saying we should thank Mister Toad for merely being competent:

[old_windbag]

we should thank Mister Toad

Merely feeding him up with a praise sandwich. Mr toad that was very good of you to see me and leave space, but you could perhaps in future drive a little slower, but overall pretty considerate continue the effort.

But I like many am a Mr Toad too and to work towards a more courteous tolerant society on the road is the goal is it not?