Originally Posted by
ken cummings
If blinking is unsafe then why do emergency vehicles have so many blinking lights? Hazard blinkers go at faster rates then most turn signals and often go at various patterns like: pause -blink,blink,blink - pause -blink . . . Patterns unlike turn signals. My rear blinking strobe is amber unlike red turn signals.
Simple - they're not intended to provide a positional reference for other road users, whereas a bike light is. Flashing lights on emergency vehicles are only intended to get your attention and make you get out of the way.
Blinking/flashing lights are very difficult to track with your eyes in the dark, and if the rate of blinking is slow enough, some could even miss it entirely until it's too late.
Another thing is that if someone rides next to a fence or barrier of some sort at the side of the road, having a blinking light will make it appear as if there's a vehicle with a steady light on moving on the other side of the fence, and that the on/off nature of the light comes from the light hiding and appearing behind the fence poles. I've seen this effect/illusion myself many times. If another rider thinks you're on the other side of the fence, when you're not, that's not a very good thing.
Blinking lights are unsafe, and less visible, but since people assume they're better than steady lights, people will keep using them.
I will say this, though - any light, even a blinking one, is better than NO light.