Rear lights on helmets.

[mjr]

Think I'll get one, do you just cable tie them to the helmet?

Please don't cable tie unapproved shoot to your helmet. Use a proper mount from the manufacturer. If you're going to use a helmet, don't compromise it else it could be worse than useless in a fall. You don't want your light to be the last thing to go through your mind.

These lights have battery life of over 6 hours which is enough for my purposes.

Which would mean I'd be charging them a few times a week. I couldn't be doing with that faff!

 

[gibgrth]

Hi to all.
Its only me again and hope you've all had a good day.
This coming winter I'm determined to try and continue to cycle in the dark evenings after work. There's nothing worse than coming home to an empty house and just sitting there all night vegetating in front of the tv. Cycling has been great this summer and its a shame for it to simply end because the dark nights have arrived. The one though that puts me off about night time rides ,is the fear of not being seen by motorists. I'm not concerned about what goes one in front as I feel I have some control if a situation arises. Its more of a fear of will the car behind see me , especially on some fast A roads that I use from time to time. Tonight was a good example when a bus made a close pass scaring me witless. I feel that my lights are plenty bright enough and very noticeable but after tonight,s little scare I'm thinking of upping the Aunty with another rear light.I would be quite happy to dress my bike in an array of christmas light if it were to ease my paranoia of not being seen, but we all know this is not really the right way forward. Looking in my box of bike spares I've dug out a moon comet rear light and it fits rather nicely to my helmet. Would you agree or differ that a rear light on a helmet is a good safe guard to use in conjunction with my seat post mounted light.
All the very best,
Johnny :-)

I bought myself a small cat eye handlebar mirror so I can watch (to a certain extent ) what's coming and how it's coming behind me!

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE 5021686, member: 9609"]yes - I don't think the yellow material is that much use at night, probably better than dark colour- but the hiViz reflective strips always stand out well at night[/QUOTE]
Under sodium lighting, Hi-Vis washes out.

 

[Slick]

Good luck with that argument. The police have failed to take any action against drivers who have taken me out (twice), in broad day light, the first of which I was wearing a hi viz jacket. And there are many others on here who will have had similar experiences and had far more serious injuries than I suffered.

The OP referenced a bus making a close pass. Personal opinion, but if a driver can't see a modern LED bulb or array mounted to a seat post or seat bag and pass the rider accordingly, I don't see that distracting them by being lit up like a Christmas tree is going to make any difference. - Particularly when commonly there are other reflective elements on the bike or on your person, whether they be seat post reflector, mudguards, pedals, rain jacket, back of your shoes, back of your leggings etc, all which are designed and incorporated into the item to bring a cyclist to a driver's attention.

The same lack of attention by some motorists to cyclists, can also be experienced by oncoming traffic. For example, there are sections of road on my commute which for quite long stretches have very little street lighting and a long section with no street lighting at all. IME, whether I have illuminated one front light, or two, (one with 5 LEDs which produces a light scatter and one with a powerful single bulb, with a directed beam), or one with a flasher and one fixed, makes no difference to the oncoming tw@ts, who decide that my retinas should feel the force of their headlight full beams.

I'm really sorry to hear you have been involved in more than one incident, even worse that the police saw fit to do nothing about it, that must have been horrible. I can't help but think your theory that I'm somehow distracting drivers by my helmet lights a tad ridiculous when you consider the sheer amount and positioning of lights on something like a modern artic or even the average moving signs we see in our cities now. Also, I've already stated that more cars seem to dip their headlights for me so as they are obviously not exactly sure what's coming towards them. If you don't rate it, that's fine, but in my area I feel it gives me the best chance of success.

 

[Slick]

Yeah, they'll just argue that all your lights confused them.

Yeah, I would be interested to hear what your average city dwelling judge made of that.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

[QUOTE 5021597, member: 9609"]I did a omparison test at the end of the nights ride - the HiViz is def worth it after dark
View attachment 381156

here is the vid, first 30 seconds going and coming back with hiviz, the last half repeated without
the van lights are on dip

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCgH92sG5Ng[/QUOTE]

The thing is you can see your lights a long long time before the reflectives. So they do not add anything in terms of being seen earlier. So I am not sure what they add.

 

[Slick]

[QUOTE 5021769, member: 9609"]I wonder if I am using the wrong terminology here - I'm thinking Hi-Viz refers to the reflective strips, but I'm now thinking hiviz is just the bright colour and the reflective strips are reflective strips.[/QUOTE]
It's both.

http://www.siteking.co.uk/blog/importance-of-hi-vis/

 

[mjr]

Yeah, I would be interested to hear what your average city dwelling judge made of that.

IIRC, if it gets to a judge, the driver loses as long as the bike has lights and its rider didn't do anything illegal, pretty much, because they're meant to drive so they can stop within what they can see to be clear. The problem is it might not get that far.

 

[Bodhbh]

The thing is you can see your lights a long long time before the reflectives. So they do not add anything in terms of being seen earlier. So I am not sure what they add.

Potentially a bit of insurance when both of your back lights go on the blink at once. I know it's not very likely, but I've had enough problems with loose connections, things falling off and things going out out of power over the years to know it's not completely ridiculous. The other thing, if the reflectives are on panniers at least they give a hint that you're a 'wide load'.

 

[Slick]

IIRC, if it gets to a judge, the driver loses as long as the bike has lights and its rider didn't do anything illegal, pretty much, because they're meant to drive so they can stop within what they can see to be clear. The problem is it might not get that far.

If that's the case, surly your earlier point is moot?

 

[Tim Hall]

It's both.

http://www.siteking.co.uk/blog/importance-of-hi-vis/

Hurrah! Someone else who agrees with me on HiVis terminology.

 

[Slick]

Hurrah! Someone else who agrees with me on HiVis terminology.

I wouldn't celebrate too much, it usually means your wrong.

 

[mjr]

If that's the case, surly your earlier point is moot?

I don't see why. It might not get to a judge.

 

[Slick]

I don't see why. It might not get to a judge.

What would be the point of arguing my lights confused them if it wasn't in front of the beak?

 

[mjr]

What would be the point of arguing my lights confused them if it wasn't in front of the beak?

Persuade the police not to pass it to the CPS, persuade the CPS not to pursue it, persuade a jury not to convict, persuade your insurer or your bereaved family to settle, ... oh and I'm not saying it'll succeed often. Just that they'll try.