Advocacy & Safety - Little CatEye blinky on my helmet

I tied one of the very small CatEye blinkies to the back of my helmet, actually, to the hard plastic occipital retention strap.

I now have a blinky riding high, to supplement the NiteRider super-bright blinky low on the rear rack. Thought is that trucks and SUVs are so high that while in the driver's seat you might not even by able to see the low blinky when you are close to me. But, you should be able to see the helmet blinky.

I ride with a friend who has done something similar. The combination of her "high" blinking light, plus the low blinking light on her seat post is MUCH more noticeable than the "low" light by itself. A very cheap investment in being seen at night.

I have a white one facing the front and a red one facing the back secured on the top of my helmet by a zip tie attached through the vents.

It's so attention getting, it's almost embarassing.

Don't forget to get some cheap blinkers and hook one up on each side of the handle bar with zipties or something. Drivers notice the perspective of width a lot more than height.

They'd respect the perspective of width only if the lights looked like automoblie lights, thereby, being fooled into thinking the approaching vehicle is a car.

Having the blinkies up high puts them out of the regular hight for lights, making them stand out even more.

I have one of my blinkies doing the same thing. I also use a Xenon Strobe light.

Two blinkies, one high and one low, is an excellent idea. Drivers not only see the two lights, they don't understand what they're looking at and then they have to think it over for a moment. They are, then, much more likely to move over.

Around here, with the two blinkies, drivers think I'm operating some sort of farm equipment along the side of the road. If you know about farm equipment, you know that it's not lit up all that well, and it can be a lot wider than a car. Drivers know it too, so they slow down a *lot* coming up behind me.

There's a similar effect that can be had in front. If you supplement a bright bar light with a headlamp, you get attention, and respect, from oncoming motorists.

Check that your light actually points back by having a friend look at it. Most times the back of the helmet is actually pointed up when I'm in my usual head in the wind position.

I've had the helmet I use for commuting set up like that for a couple years now. I also have a Cateye EL-400 facing forward on that helmet as well. Occasionally I get asked where I got the lights by motorists or pedestrians - never in a nasty way either - rather refreshing to have that reaction.
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