Commuting - Nitwit Syndrome

I've wondered this since I bought my first non-depot bike last year: Why don't they tell you to use a light kit?

Now, granted, it's pretty much common sense that if you're going to be out in the dark you would want to be able to be seen, however, most non-cyclists don't seem to understand that drivers are like people with extreme ADD/ADHD. I know, I am one. Something has to grab your attention for you to pay attention to it otherwise you're in your own world, pretty much. These nitwits who ride around without lights seem to think that car headlights are the magic cure all, but if that were true there wouldn't be as many animals on the side of the road each morning, right?

I almost ran into a guy riding the wrong way, six inches inside the line. I would have done the same thing if it hadn't been for seeing someone get arrested for not having a light one day. And then there's the true cyclists who understand you really need a whole light kit (front and rear light) if you truly want to be seen, preferably a very bright rear light which blinks. But no one ever tells these people that.

How many people walked into a bike shop to buy their first bike and were actually told "If you don't want to make like a coon, you'll need one of these"? I know I never have, and apparantly neither did that guy.

Many bike manufacturers now take the position that bikes should not be ridden in the dark and say so in the owners manual. This is at least partly due to the case Johnson vs. Derby, where a cyclist who was injured in a night-time crash successfully sued a bicycle manufacturer, claiming that the bike was defective because it had not been equipped with lights. The plaintiff was awarded seven million dollars. See http://www.johnforester.com/Consult/cases2.htm for details.

There is also a practical problem that there are no lights available that are cheap, lightweight, reliable, long-lasting, and adequately bright. (You might be able to get three of those attributes if you are lucky). As witnessed by the almost daily queries here about where to buy lights, and the sub-culture of geeks who build their own, practical lights are not readily available.

In general the industry is shy about recommending night riding.

An interesting article on the subject is at:
http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/reflectors/laws.htm

Wow. Just checked my manuals. My Bianchi,Fuji,and Specialized manuals all say the same thing:
"Adults should not ride at dusk or at night unless it is absolutely necessary ." (emphasiss theirs)

Good thing DC Pirate runs are necessary. ;)

this is how the stupid and the meek will reign on earth. they reward stupidity.
first thing i purchased before i even buy my commuter is... lights! and i don't even ride my commuter bike in the dark. well, at least they can see me.

...the sub-culture of geeks who build their own,

Amen, brother, well said. (I am one of them.)

Many people don't seem to realize that a person on the street at night in dark clothing is basically invisible. Headlights do not show him until it is too late. From the pedestrian's point of view it doesn't seem like it should be so, but my experience from the driver side is that it is true.

I had a great (though not cycling-related) experience with that once when I, in a car, suddenly came upon a teenager skateboarding in the middle of the road at night in dark clothing. As I passed I rolled down the window and mentioned to him that in his current state he was essentially invisible (implying but not stating that with a bit of bad luck he could be essentially dead). His response was classic tennager, sort of a wordless grunt.