Rider with no front light

[nickyboy]

During my travels to China I'm amazed that there aren't more road accidents at night, as everyone seems to ride their motor scooters and bikes without any lights at night so are almost invisible. Add in the fact that they ride the scooters the wrong way up one way streets,on the pavement, basically anywhere I don't know why there isn't carnage happening every night. But what really ticks me off is that the scooters all have lights as standard, all they have to do is flick a switch! Amazing, maybe it's a culture thing.

There is a belief in PRC (and maybe elsewhere) that switching off the lights means they last longer so they are only switched on when "really necessary". The same used to apply to all vehicles in China. You used to get loads of cars and even lorries driving without lights. Cars and lorries now all drive with lights but scooters somewhat less so

Sadly I knew someone who lived in China who died there when the car he was in hit an unlit lorry which was travelling very slowly in the same direction. This was a long time ago though

 

[ufkacbln]

So it would appear, very rarely do you see threads with "I saw a cyclist wearing hi-viz today..." but thread after thread of these obvious cyclists in black. Astonishing.

There is an interesting thread on another forum, where the cyclist replaced their dark blue jacket with a bright HiViz one

His experience is that the number of close passes and near misses has escalated and is far worse when he was less conspicuous

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

There is an interesting thread on another forum, where the cyclist replaced their dark blue jacket with a bright HiViz one

His experience is that the number of close passes and near misses has escalated and is far worse when he was less conspicuous

Some of my clubmates who commute have said the same thing, looking like a cyclist changed how they were treated

 

[burndust]

i'm actually more concerned these days with whats in front of me than behind me after a few near misses with motorists i now always run 2 front lights one constant and one flashing, i don't care if it pisses folk off it certainly works

 

[wonderloaf]

There is a belief in PRC (and maybe elsewhere) that switching off the lights means they last longer so they are only switched on when "really necessary". The same used to apply to all vehicles in China. You used to get loads of cars and even lorries driving without lights. Cars and lorries now all drive with lights but scooters somewhat less so

Sadly I knew someone who lived in China who died there when the car he was in hit an unlit lorry which was travelling very slowly in the same direction. This was a long time ago though

I would have that driving with lights on in the pitch black is "really necessary" but maybe different rules of logic apply out there. Certainly scares the hell out of me when I'm in a taxi going between venues!

 

[Lonestar]

Black is definitely more popular. According to sciencists, the universe contains more dark matter than it does both normal matter and my ex's arse combined. Thats a lot of black.

The sun is brighter than you mate.

The same machismo/twattishness that's become common place here in Britain in the last few years! They'd rather press the keypad(or whatever you call them)on their feckin' mobiles than press an indicator switch!

I've noticed that at Canning Town way.Still it is third division motoring.

When I rode one on Thursday it appeared that the green projected image was steady, unless the bike was stationary, when it switched to flashing after a short while. Where this gets,s us on the legality question I don't know. I'm assuming the bike still had its regular white and red lights, but didn't check.

Edit: Looking at the promotional video on the Santander website, yes the white flashing light is still there.

Looking today I do believe you are right.

 

[ufkacbln]

The same machismo/twattishness that's become common place here in Britain in the last few years! They'd rather press the keypad(or whatever you call them)on their feckin' mobiles than press an indicator switch!

Allegedly both BMW and Audi are instigating a massive recall after a few of their vehicles were spotted with working indicators

 

[mythste]

There is an interesting thread on another forum, where the cyclist replaced their dark blue jacket with a bright HiViz one

His experience is that the number of close passes and near misses has escalated and is far worse when he was less conspicuous

I certainly get given a wider birth when I have my big ol' ortlieb pannier on the right hand side than I do if it's on the left. Even though my bars are still the widest part of the bike I must appear to be wider than I am.

 

[mjr]

I certainly get given a wider birth when I have my big ol' ortlieb pannier on the right hand side than I do if it's on the left. Even though my bars are still the widest part of the bike I must appear to be wider than I am.

Try a nice flappy cape. Now so few cyclists use them, it seems to freak motorists out and they don't come within a lane of you!

 

[mick1836]

And they say hi-viz is visible, apparently black is just as good

 

[summerdays]

Try a nice flappy cape. Now so few cyclists use them, it seems to freak motorists out and they don't come within a lane of you!

Actually a pink fairy outfit and drifting balloons works well too!!!

 

[mjr]

Actually a pink fairy outfit and drifting balloons works well too!!!

As does wearing a large cardboard box and riding among others wearing parrot suits and dressed as jungle commandos, but that's not terribly practical for work

 

[Twizit]

There is a belief in PRC (and maybe elsewhere) that switching off the lights means they last longer so they are only switched on when "really necessary". The same used to apply to all vehicles in China. You used to get loads of cars and even lorries driving without lights. Cars and lorries now all drive with lights but scooters somewhat less so

Curious on this one, as every motorbike and scooter I've ridden in the last 10 years has no light switch, other than for main beam - i.e. the normal headlights are always switched on and you can't actually turn them off. Can only think this is a UK or EU regulation and doesn't apply out in the far east?

On the subject of wearing all black, why not provided you've got good lights front and back. After all there's a very good percentage of road vehicles that are all black and no one complains about not being able to see them, or insists they should be wrapped in hi-viz. Can't say I've seen a big difference in how I'm treated on the roads depending on what I'm wearing. Personally I think how I ride / position myself / attitude used makes a far bigger difference to how vehicle drivers perceive me.

I also ride in black a lot of the time, but with a very large (patterned for road) Exposure light on the front, linked to a very bright rear light, plus secondary back-up lights front and back. If car drivers fail to spot me like this, lit up like the proverbial Blackpool Tower, then the colour of my kit ain't going to make a blind bit of difference.

 

[mjr]

Curious on this one, as every motorbike and scooter I've ridden in the last 10 years has no light switch, other than for main beam - i.e. the normal headlights are always switched on and you can't actually turn them off. Can only think this is a UK or EU regulation and doesn't apply out in the far east?

Yes, it's in the UK regulations (Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations). Not sure about EU level. Most of the switches are still capable of being wired for on-off, as I use them on bicycles for dynamo lights (most non-drop bars are the same diameter as motorbike ones), but I expect they're not fitted that way for bikes destined for the UK. I don't think it's in the EU regulations, or at least if it is, photo searches suggest it's widely flouted in Italy.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Curious on this one, as every motorbike and scooter I've ridden in the last 10 years has no light switch, other than for main beam - i.e. the normal headlights are always switched on and you can't actually turn them off. Can only think this is a UK or EU regulation and doesn't apply out in the far east?

I've never ridden a bike where you can't turn off the lights every bike I've had (granted none have been less then 10 years old) have had a separate switch to turn them off. Not sure I'd want to ride a bike where you can't switch them off, I never used to ride with headlight on unless I was filtering.