Imho that blinkies tell drivers that you're "just" a bicycle. The
brain tunes out anything regular or repetitive from the attention span of
what might need need immediate attention.
Use solid red always. In most of Europe, that's the law. No blinkies
allowed.
Extending that idea, brighter red when stopping.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWpjiLh-uYk&context=C3c869dcADOEgsToPDskLCw0_jyaXMdFEANyAVLDQo
After all, would you drive your car without brakelights ever?
Would you drive your car at night with just a flashlight?
Then what are most of you doing on your bicycles?
The whole theme of Barry Beams is to "Get Mistaken for a Car". When
drivers don't know you're "just" a bicycle, they give you a lot more room
and respect. They also can't know for sure if they can legally pass you
across a center line.
http://contour.com/stories/barry-beams-overpowers-car-headlights-on-foothill-expresswayOne
viewer of my headlight demo at Maker Faire yesterday said it looked like it
could be a drunk riding half on and off the shoulder. A driver will act to
get out of the way of a potential drunk more than just about any other
hazard on the road.
Helmet side up,
Barry
On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 10:33 AM, Jon Spangler <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mike,
> The best way to help drivers gauge how far they are from you is to use two
> widely-spaced lights
> that are as far apart vertically and/or horizontally as possible. The
> separation is more important
> than whether the lights are flashing or steady.
>
> You can get a 2-foot vertical separation between lights placed on your
> rear rack and a helmet,
> or get 6-12 inches horizontally across rear panniers or a messenger bag.
>
> I try to get separation on both axes so the lights catch the driver's eye
> faster. And I wear LOTS of
> reflective gear to enhance my visibility day and night.
>
> I usually use two 1/2-watt Planet Bike SuperFlash red tail lights plus my
> Planet Bike helmet-mounted
> red flasher, all on flashing mode.
>
> Jon
>
>
> On May 21, 2012, at 10:17 AM, Michael Graff wrote:
>
> > I have heard that flashing lights make it harder to detect where the
> light
> > is located (e.g. how far away it is, or how quickly you're approaching
> it).
> >
> > I split the difference: steady lights on the bike, flashing lights on the
> > helmet, and some yellow Reflexite tape as well.
> >
> > On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 9:26 AM, Jym Dyer <jym-RQ31L/[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> =v= I've seen mention of this before, but never knew quite
> >> what to make of it. I'd like to see research that takes other
> >> variables into account*, such as the blink rate, the brightness
> >> of the lights, the patterns some of them make, etc.
> >>
> >> =v= For my own part, I use a blinky that blinks, bright but not
> >> blinding. Plus bits of reflective tape that to my eyes are even
> >> more visible in the headlights.
> >> <_Jym_>
> >>
>
--
* *__*Q** **
** -->**`** *\*`**-*,*<**===** **Barry Beams Lighting**
_((**)*/** **(**)*___ _*_______________________
Barry Burr p(650) 518-0574
[email protected] <[email protected]> f (650) 968-1228
"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds
discuss people."- Eleanor Roosevelt
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