Blinded by the Light

[bob d]

Just to add my twopence worth, have ridden for the last five years all year round in all weathers, covering approx 400 miles per week, & i have always used dipped headlamps during the day. During winter months found using main beam when filtering through traffic helps enormously (drivers often say at lights "your lights are on mate" to which i always reply " you saw me then")
My latest bike an 05 R1 has dipped headlamps that come on as soon as engine fired up & they are that bright that i often get cars ect pull over out of way so i can pass them (for which i always thank them).
So i say put your lights on but always give 100% attention to what is going on around, as not every 4 wheel driver will see you even when lights are blinding them, as some are plain blind, stupid idiots.

[Mister James]

It's worth mentioning that one stealth-concept being toyed with is putting high-intensity lights onto unmanned aircraft, because it makes them less noticable than if you can see their silhouette against the sky. I suspect that follows the same principle as G's comments.

The simple fact is that a light is just a light - the human brain identifies objects by image recognition, and uses that to gauge distance and speed. If you cannot really distinguish one light from another, there is no way to work out any of the above.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
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[magpiemale]

my new kawasaki 750 has daytime running lights and no switch to knock them off.my american wife said they have had them in america for years and it's law (I think) to have them on mind ya car drivers dont have their lights on anyways.when I am in my car dusk to dark many people leave their lights off so a bike with lights on must be a good thing though yes at times not in every situation.

[gavin]

fight the dumb legislation, get one of these....


https://www.kriss.com/h7illuminator_mod.htm


and be seen

[loply]

One point regarding bikes becoming "lost" in a sea of headlights.

I have observed when waiting at junctions in my car, that the best mechanism for bikers to prevent this is to put a large gap between the motorbike and the car in front. This isolates the bike and makes it easier to spot and identify.

This only really applies to junctions, I can't comment on cars changing lanes on dual carriageways etc.

I've always wondered if bikes shouldn't have a different type of lighting system to cars - Perhaps one red and one green light, or something like that?
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Yamaha SZR660 Caution to the wind, the throttle pinned!

[kawakid]

Always have lights on.

Doesn't feel right with them off.

Saying that at this time of year i'm in a fluroescent vest also.

Which does make a difference, especially when filtering.

[G]

Ah, kept meaning to reply to this post...

[natv4]

I think some people are missing the point. Yes, we should ride defensively, but as G said, this includes making ourselves as visible as possible. If all vehicles use daytime running lights (dipped beam), then a bike with its headlamps on is going to be less visible.

The 2 pictures earlier in the thread demonstrate this. The Range Rover may be 50m behind the bike, yet you still may only see one vehicle, 50m away. This could easily lead to a SMIDSY type accident.

I use my lights day and night, I also wear a hivis jacket and have retro-reflective tape on my paniers & top box. However I do find that running lights are not always useful.

In cloudy conditions, the hivis jacket seems most effective.

In early morning sun, I see bikes earlier when they have no lights on. Its only for about an hour or so after sunrise on clear days.

My advice would be use your lights appropriately. I would not like to see other vehicles dipped lights on permanently. I think side/parking lights would be useful on some vehicles so that you could identify a vehicle with its engine running (unfortunately, if this were enforced I think they would end up taking it further to dipped lights).
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Travelling around the world...a bit at a time. Where am I now? / Visit my BLOG
Bike: Blue Honda VFR800fi (*NEW*) Mileage: 22k Countries visited: GB/F/D/CZ/PL/E/I/B/A/HR/H/Rus/E/MA
West Europe...2004, East Europe...2005, Russia/France...2006, Morocco...2007

[mchaggis]

At this time of year and until about the end of March, this debate is relevant. You can't ride without dipped headlamps on your commute or you can't see where you're going. The joys of Northeast Scotland; I may as well live in a cave.
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I must not be a troll...
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Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.