Bicycle Flashing Lights Are Illegal? Really?

[Mugshot]

Do you really honestly think that is likely? Is it not more likely they will think, if they think at all, "I do not recognise the pin prick of light coming towards me as being attached to a tonne or more of metal, therefore it is not a threat, therefore I can pull out safelcrash." or, more likely they are thinking "Must pay attention...... concentrate..... careful now..... SQUIRRELS!" and pull out? Which seems to be the experience of many motorcyclists and other car drivers, given how many collisions occur at junctions

If you ride behind a gigantic cut out of an artic it might have legs, and so will you given the wind resistance, but otherwise a driver who is a cock is a driver who is a cock and will pull out anyway. And you only need to worry about the drivers who are cocks.

I do think it's likely yes. I think that a flashing front light says cyclist and nothing else whereas a steady light says vehicle on the road but I'm not sure which one.
You're right of course, idiots are idiots and there's almost certainly no cyclists, motorcyclists, car drivers or any other kind of road user that you care to mention that will disagree with you. But I do think that if the person at the junction is paying any sort of attention then a steady light may just make them wait because they don't know what's coming rather than them thinking it's a bicycle I have time.
As I said, I'm not suggesting I'm right, but the thought occurred to me one winters evening as I was making my way through the country lanes, that oncoming traffic would not know immediately what I was if my lights weren't flashing, and it was an epiphany which quite honestly made me feel safer.

 

[Leodis]

I mainly use the flashing front light for day time riding, if the sun isn’t quite up or its dark I don’t think twice. I have had more cars make room for me on the road due to the flashing light than at any other time.
Not too bothered if it upsets Peds or cyclists, it won’t be them under the wheels.

 

[fossyant]

I havent started to motor yet..plenty to contribute. The pictures or footage are areas of concern as a cyclist.

Well if you had used the search function there is plenty of debate on lights etc. Nothing new here and you are just posting from your extensive library of video, which TBH we could go and look at it if we so wish. It's just like the spammers who come on to self promote their web sites/products etc.

"The pictures or footage are areas of concern as a cyclist" - please don't ask me (or us) to suck eggs - got the gravel rashes, and operation scars to prove it.

 

[Mugshot]

I mainly use the flashing front light for day time riding, if the sun isn’t quite up or its dark I don’t think twice.

Good point, I use flashing if the sun is low and behind me and I'm on a single track.

 

[4F]

Good point, I use flashing if the sun is low and behind me and I'm on a single track.

I use flashing to annoy driving instructors

 

[fossyant]

Fossydroid installs a 3xT6 laser and a 1xT6 wide angle laser to burn out @potsy (droid)'s eyes on the TPT in winter. Stops the bugger going for a KOM !

@potsy droid responds with similar hardware.

 

[RiflemanSmith]

I havent started to motor yet..plenty to contribute. The pictures or footage are areas of concern as a cyclist. The issue of lights have come up time and time again and needs to be thrashed out. As for exploiting my videos, they are the proverbial canvas in which to spark debate. But if it bothers some on here, I will not pate such scenes.

I wouldn't worry about it mate, your clips are non events but harmless.
If people don't like your videos no one is forcing them to watch them.
It's just typical of this forum for people to jump all over every thing and start making snid comments.

 

[Jdratcliffe]

God no...loads of us on here are stupid / paranoid.

better to be paranoid and alive

 

[mr_cellophane]

What a load of bollacks he spouts. "if he can't have flashing lights, then it must apply to all road users". So my bike must have; a fog light, brake light, indicators, dipping headlight, etc, etc

 

[theclaud]

Noted

I'd get DZ to ban them, if he didn't often use one the damned things himself.

 

[ufkacbln]

Rather than quote all the previous comments - this is my understanding which confirms some and widens others

There are two sets of regulations, the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations and the British Standard (BS6102/3)

There is also the Euroean angle where you can have a light that meets an appropriate EU regulation. Some dynamo lights have a "K" prefixed number which meets the German standard

It is however possible to have a light marked with one of these that only applies to part of the light.

The Cateye AU100 is a classic, as the BS6102/3 standard was for the reflector part, not the actual light!

It is also possible to have a light that meets the RVLR, but fails the BS and vice - versa!

My practice is to have a set of lights that have a BS mark and hence are "legal" I than have backup lifghts in the form of a MagicShine front and rear setup.

 

[Davidc]

Flashers aren't illegal since 2005 but my observation as a driver is that in the dark I see flashing lights later than steady ones (front and back) and as a cyclist I'm certain this applies to other people.

As TC says they're also b. annoying for other cyclists and pedestrians too.

I do use flashing rear, both in daylight and in conjunction with steady lighting.

My experience agrees with the German research results - and no flashing lights are allowed there.

As for standards, my dynamo lights are all K marked, so by default I have fully legal lighting.

Edit: Date corrected.

 

[ufkacbln]

Then justto be cotraversial.......

Personally I think the lighting laws for vehicles and bicles are unmanageable, poorly written and need to be rewritten with a bit of knowledge and commen sense.

Is the strip of red LEDs around an indicator panel really road legal for a car?

A set of regulations that forces manafacturers to produce practical lights, with a beam pattern that allows higher power lights to be used safely, and has minimum standards that can easily be applied.

 

[MontyVeda]

driving instructors, like many other 'trained' professionals.... are a font of bullsh!t

 

[Davidc]

Then justto be cotraversial.......

Personally I think the lighting laws for vehicles and bicles are unmanageable, poorly written and need to be rewritten with a bit of knowledge and commen sense.

Is the strip of red LEDs around an indicator panel really road legal for a car?

A set of regulations that forces manafacturers to produce practical lights, with a beam pattern that allows higher power lights to be used safely, and has minimum standards that can easily be applied.

Agree 100% We now have vehicle lights which can dazzle badly (including bike lights) including front and rear, through to some which are legal but far too dim. just as bad are lights with indicator lamps in the centre of brake and rear lights, so that with the bright brake lights on the indicator becomes invisible (such as VW Passats and the new Ka).

HID lights should IMO be banned completely.