Which helmet and are lights allowed on helmet

[Mick F]

Just a quickie on the lights on the helmet issue.

A red light on the rear is legal ............... but showing a red light to the front is illegal.
Turn your head to look behind you (with your red light on the rear of your helmet) and show your red light to the front, you are breaking the law.

Ditto having a white light on the font, and turning your head so the white light shines to the rear .............. unless you are reversing.

[Jdsk]

A red light on the rear is legal ............... but showing a red light to the front is illegal.
Turn your head to look behind you (with your red light on the rear of your helmet) and show your red light to the front, you are breaking the law.

Ditto having a white light on the font, and turning your head so the white light shines to the rear .............. unless you are reversing.

Which laws or regulations would be breached in the situations that you describe?

Thanks

Jonathan

[pjclinch]

On legality, unless you're doing something blatantly annoying to a lot of people (e.g., pointing a super-bright strobe directly at everyone coming towards you) or basically useless (like a light totally concealed by luggage) I think that police will generally not bother themselves over "best effort" lighting approaches such as helmet mounts.
Back in the mists of time when LED blinked first appeared (late 80s?) they were technically illegal, but chatting with members of Lothian Police traffic division they thought they were great because it typically made the difference between something and nothing.

Pete.

[Paul Smith SRCC]

I personally like helmet lights in addition to those bike mounted. As to their legality, to quote 'We are Cycling' "Helmet lights can be useful but don't meet legal requirements when used alone".

I use a set of Trek Ion 100 R and Flare R City Leds, fitted onto my cycle helmet in winter and in the summer I remove them from the helmet and use them 'on the bike' as small neat daylight running lights.

Both attach to the helmet with mounts designed to detach should you have an impact, I personally wouldn't recommend a light and bracket that wouldn't do that, I'd be worried that in the event of an impact they could pierce the helmet and do my head some damage. Although mine is a Bontrager helmet with compatible mounts and lights I do think it's advisable whatever combination you choose that the light and bracket does detach if you have an impact. I have shown the helmet brackets with lights attached both on and off the helmet, the two brackets shown separately come with the lights for attachment to the bike

My commute has a lot of side road junctions, I like that I can attract more attention with the front light as I naturally look at those cars that may pop out of a side road into my path. The front I have on 'constant', I am always in fear if it is 'flashing' a car driver may interpret that as me signalling that it's ok for them to exit the junction; the rear I am happy to have on 'flash' mode.

As I emphasised above the helmet lights are in addition to those bike mounted. I do like more than one for my busy urban commute, in addition to those helmet lights, on the rear of the bike I have an LED under the saddle, one on the mudguard and another fettled onto the frame mudguard eye. With the rear helmet led elevated above those three it does give quite a wide spread. On the front I have a Schmidt hub with LED as well as an old 900 lumens Exposure Toro LED. The below taken last night, note the visible beam of the front is the 'Exposure' led only as the bike was stationary so the Dynamo led was not contributing. That Toro has a variety of brightness levels, in that picture it's backed off to the lowest available as I ride on well lit roads, I only use the full 900 lumens when they are unlit; the current version version 3800!

[mattsccm]

The fact that helmet lights don't fulfil legal obligations works both ways. Unless you break a specific law or or are silly enough to get booked for creating a danger you cannot be told off if they don't meet any standard as they don't need to. They are not bike lights.

[Paul Smith SRCC]

The fact that helmet lights don't fulfil legal obligations works both ways. Unless you break a specific law or or are silly enough to get booked for creating a danger you cannot be told off if they don't meet any standard as they don't need to. They are not bike lights.

I agree, I so often see people with just helmet lights and nothing else, they are in addition to bike mounted lights only as far as I am concerned.

Yes I like that helmet lights are visible inline with head movements, but if they are the only lights then for me at those times that you are not looking straight ahead for me that makes the rider vulnerable

[Audax67]

If you're cycling with a good old-fashioned route sheet or a map on top of your bar bag, don't look at it with your helmet light turned up all the way. #nightvision

I used one with three white LEDS and a red one for years and never had any trouble from using the red.