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Effective cycle lighting
notmeatloaf
post Tue, 11 Dec 2018 - 22:30
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I ask this knowing I will get some grief, but it's good too see things outside an echo chamber.

One of the interesting things that translates from how doctors and nurses make mistakes to driving is the idea of saccades. This is that when surveying something, be it newly implanted kidney or roundabout, your eye flicks across the scene in three or four movements. Your brain then stitches those together into one picture. If you don't look carefully, especially around the joins, then your brain just fills in what it expects to see there, and you miss the surgical swab in the patient, or the motorcycle on the roundabout.

This is important for all road users, but especially motorcyclists and cyclists because they are more likely to get lost in a stitch. The standard advice is hi viz and flashing lights.

For myself, I commute about 300km a week on a bike, which with hospital shifts tends to be late at night and early morning when the drunk, drugged up, dopey and unlicenced come out to play.

Going back twenty years it was very easy, you put your 4 AA batteries in your light, turned it into full glow and off you went. Cars had halogen headlights, street lamps were all orange sodium, happy days.

Fast forward to now and we have LED street lights, DRLs, xenon lights, chav attempts at xenon lights, and standing out becomes much more difficult.

I have a Proviz vest, hi viz sleeves and gloves, three bright, large front lights and two large bright rear lights, with flourescent yellow panniers. Short of having a man walking in front with a red flag blowing a trumpet, it's impossible to be more visible.

I was knocked off earlier this year, fair enough bad luck. However at 6.30am on Saturday I was knocked off again on a wide, streetlit 20mph road. The driver hit me from behind and didn't even brake until after the impact. They turned out to be unlicenced and uninsured, which wasn't a great start. However according to them I "came out of nowhere".

Now, nowhere is a slight exaggeration compared to cycling along the side of the road lit up like a Christmas tree. However, it did make me realise that I am lit up to about the fullest extent permitted by law and still two drivers have failed to see me just this year.

As it was it was.just cuts and bruises and we agreed a cash amount to repair the bike/beer money and went on our way.

Anyway, I went and bought a light online which promises that no-one will miss you. It arrived the other day and it definitely delivers what it promises - a red strobe with white and blue LEDs mixed in means you definitely.stand out.

I am still in two minds whether to use it. It is, without a doubt overkill for most motorists and I hate the idea of supporting a lighting war, where everyone adds more and more. However, having tried it out it does seem to work, motorists noticeably pass more carefully and with more space - although that may be because they are trying to think of where the nearest hospital is.

I'm really conscious though that as a cyclist you have to think of the lowest denominator - in my case a Pakistani who clearly hasn't mastered the art of driving in cities other than Kabul, because even if they represent 0.01% of motorists, if they plough through you at 30mph it will be scant consolation.

So... as motorists... any thoughts welcome...
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post Tue, 11 Dec 2018 - 22:30
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DancingDad
post Sat, 5 Jan 2019 - 12:12
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QUOTE (mickR @ Sat, 5 Jan 2019 - 10:33) *
.........Not forgetting aftermarket HIDs fitted to a vehicle without self levelling suspension is an MOT fail anyway.


Aftermarket HIDs (in halogen reflectors) is a major fail anyway now.

HID lamps can self adjust instead of the vehicle suspension.
But must have one or the other.
Although not a guaranteed fail, from the MOT test guidance:-
"Vehicles with high intensity discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be fitted with a suspension or headlamp self-levelling system. If these systems have been fitted, they must work.
Sometimes it isn't easy to determine if the self-levelling systems work. In such cases you should give the benefit of the doubt."

This post has been edited by DancingDad: Sat, 5 Jan 2019 - 12:15
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