winjim
Smash the cistern
You don't have to be contrary, nobody's trying to catch you out.
Daytime running lights
- Thread starter Thegreatthor
- Start date
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Mark pallister
Senior Member
I’m not
I have a rear flashing light on every bike I ride all year round
I think it helps the car behind see me and no one can prove any different
and as for people who turn there car lights out in a 30 mph zone there are just plain stupid and I hope to god for there sake it’s not one of my family they end up running over
Mark pallister
Senior Member
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Can you prove it makes you any safer?
No you can't, yet still you do so. Inconsistent.
Not really. Can you prove that it makes you less safe?
In the absence of any concrete proof either way, we cannot demonstrate a difference. However we can demonstrate that as far as human perception is concerned a flashing light draws attention. There are numerous studies and applications of flashing lights as beacons to draw attention (although contrast is important).
So whilst we cannot prove whether or not it makes a difference to safety, we can say with some confidence that people are more likely to have their attention drawn to a flashing light whether it is day or night.
Most of us see this effect regularly. WHilst driving home from tesco tonight down an unlit road, I saw strange lights. Couldn't make out whether they were coming toward me or away from me. Couldn't make out whether they were on the road or pavement. What I could do though was see them and reduce my speed substantially (this is a 60mph road) because I couldn't work out what they were. As I drew closer, I saw a cyclist on the pavement with a motley collection of lights.
Do I think they were over the top? Yes. Did I think they were unclear? Yes. Did they achieve the effect of making the cyclist seen and of making me reduce my speed - absolutely. So silly as they were, they massively achieved the aim of making that cyclist seen, and therefore safer (cars regularly travel across the pavement and into the reservoir fences!).
In the absence of any concrete proof either way, we cannot demonstrate a difference. However we can demonstrate that as far as human perception is concerned a flashing light draws attention. There are numerous studies and applications of flashing lights as beacons to draw attention (although contrast is important).
So whilst we cannot prove whether or not it makes a difference to safety, we can say with some confidence that people are more likely to have their attention drawn to a flashing light whether it is day or night.
Most of us see this effect regularly. WHilst driving home from tesco tonight down an unlit road, I saw strange lights. Couldn't make out whether they were coming toward me or away from me. Couldn't make out whether they were on the road or pavement. What I could do though was see them and reduce my speed substantially (this is a 60mph road) because I couldn't work out what they were. As I drew closer, I saw a cyclist on the pavement with a motley collection of lights.
Do I think they were over the top? Yes. Did I think they were unclear? Yes. Did they achieve the effect of making the cyclist seen and of making me reduce my speed - absolutely. So silly as they were, they massively achieved the aim of making that cyclist seen, and therefore safer (cars regularly travel across the pavement and into the reservoir fences!).
DRHysted
Guru
- Location
- New Forest
Yet flashing lights have been used for centuries to alert a danger. I do believe that lighthouses have had some effect.
winjim
Smash the cistern
The flash sequence of a lighthouse is designed to convey extra information about the type of lighthouse and its position etc.
Edit: and they don't switch them on during the day which is what this thread's about.
Last edited:
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
Lazy misrepresentation of the situation. Have you actually read the thread?
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
That doesn't mean that I have no lights on, does it?
Mark pallister
Senior Member
It means you have no headlamps on ,explain your reasoning for that to the parents of a child when you hit one
winjim
Smash the cistern
The child is perfectly well lit by the streetlamps. Car headlights are arguably distracting and draw attention away from other hazards. Sidelights afford sufficient visibility to the vehicle.
winjim
Smash the cistern
Sorry to labour the maritime point but it's worth pointing out that when navigating into port, which I would say is more analogous to the close manoeuvres one performs around a cyclist, fixed lights are used as they are more suitable for judging position, speed and distance.
Mark pallister
Senior Member
Why to you even bother to argue about these things ?
your very sad
the whole word over knows your more likely to be seen if you’ve got lights on
winjim
Smash the cistern
You think the child should have lights on?
Mark pallister
Senior Member
If it’s on the road yes
there really is something wrong with you
arguing over child safety
