FatBaldMen

How illegal is it to run a set of red & blue* rear flashers?

I live next to a big party college so theres alota young drivers who cant drive or who get drunk & really cant drive & that makes leaving the bars on bike a bit sketchy, so my thinking here is they see the red & blue* lights & think "**************, the police" & slo down or dip down another street...Good idea/bad idea? (Im doin it anyways lol)

I WOULD NEVER TRY & PULL ANYONE OVER FOR THE RECORD!


*Gonna handmake the blue flasher outa an old planet bikes red one by swapping out the LED bulb.

Reaper

In most states it's illegal to have any flashing red/blue lights on your vehicle unless your vehicle is an authorized emergency vehicle. And if you run them you run the risk of being arrested for impersonating a police officer.

1nterceptor

You're going to put this on the front of your bike so
that when a car sees you coming from behind they'll
avoid you? I don't see how that really makes you any safer.
Better to have bright tailights on YOUR rear so that cars
coming from behind you can see you well in advance,
also wear clothes with reflective materials. And have a good
white headlite(s).

Seamless

Exactly why it's illegal.
But do enjoy defending yourself against impersonation charges, and potentially attempted stalking or worse (victims are "pulled over" by fake cops and assaulted); it should be fun.

It would seem more effective to call in suspected drunk drivers to police emergency, since their license plate/vehicle info is in clear view for you and it would remove them from driving in the future (which your method won't).

FatBaldMen

How illegal is it to run a set of red & blue* rear flashers?

to the "Your gonna have in front?" comment.

Ill let yall know how the case against me goes haha, seriously though, what yall are sayin makes sense so Ill do red & green.

dougmc

It's impossible to answer this question without knowing where you are -- the state is what is most important, but the city might be relevant as well.

"West Coast" narrows it down to a few states, but isn't precise enough.

Though I have a hard time picturing cops hassling a cyclist just because he's got flashers that are the wrong color. It's not impossible, but it seems unlikely, and if a cop does do it, a simple "I didn't know it was illegal", an apology and promise to fix it as soon as you get home will probably spare you a ticket.

billdsd

In the U.S., red flashing lights tend to be OK on a bike but blue tends to be illegal except for police. Check your local laws.

The colors also vary by country so again, check your local laws.

degnaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2c7-OhzxbY

Not too clear, but the second-to-last guy is running a red and blue rear blinky. Not quite sure where one can be bought.

mechBgon

That would still be a bad idea. Why? Because if you were in a collision with a car, and your bike's not street-legal, the motorist's defense lawyer will make sure to bring it up if you have to sue for damages. So use only the colors allowed by law, and if you're in the United States, that means red for the rear. Period. Anyone whose state allows any other color, feel free to correct me.

Going back to the original post, if you want to be safe from those kids, stay away from the bars and that should really help.

dahut

I have red flashies and white strobes on the REAR of my bike. I look like an ambulance or carnival, take your pic.

Here's what I know - people see me.

Ill ride these until the cops tell me otherwise.

Iowegian

I run red and blue spoke lights in the winter and while it may be my imagination, I've convinced myself that it does grab people's attention better than just red, yellow, green or whatever. I don't know if it's technically illegal but then again, I'm not sure if I have enough reflectors, etc to be 100% legal either.

I would think twice about the rear blinky, though. That is getting much closer to the domain of emergency vehicle lighting IMHO.

ItsJustAHill

CA Vehicle Code Section 21201.3 Bicycle Lights

21201.3. (a) A bicycle or motorized bicycle used by a peace officer, as defined in Section 830.1 of, subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), or (i) of Section 830.2 of, subdivision (b) or (d) of Section 830.31 of, subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 830.32 of, Section 830.33 of, subdivision (a) of Section 830.36 of, subdivision (a) of Section 830.4 of, or Section 830.6 of, the Penal Code, in the performance of the peace officer's duties, may display a steady or flashing blue warning light that is visible from the front, sides, or rear of the bicycle or motorized bicycle.

(b) No person shall display a steady or flashing blue warning light on a bicycle or motorized bicycle except as authorized under subdivision (a).

If you're a Californian, it's specifically outlawed. And your lights will last be seen going into an evidence bag.

mechBgon

In Colorado, you need:

1. a red rear reflector that shows up in low-beam headlights from 600 feet in complete darkness. So keep your reflectors clean. Can't go wrong with a bunch of DOT-approved red reflective tape, it reflects from almost any angle too.

2. a white front light visible for 500 feet from the front. Easily done these days.

3. reflective material that makes the bike visible from the SIDE for 600 feet, OR a light that's visible from the side for 500 feet. Silver DOT-approved reflective tape pinstriped on your main triangle, reflective tire sidewalls if you can keep them clean enough, or whatever.

They also say you can have additional stuff beyond those requirements.

njkayaker

It's illegal in any case because it isn't going to be always be clear where they are installed.

billdsd

Assuming that a cop see it and cares.

At San Diego's recent Critical Manners/Courteous Mass ride there was a rider with a flash blue LED array on the back of his bike. I asked him if he knew it was illegal and he didn't. He also said that cops have never bothered him about it and a number had seen him riding with it.

I wouldn't bet on it though. At some point, some cop probably will care.

xenologer

A possible loophole (at least I didnt' see anything saying you Can Not do it in CA) may be to instead put red and blue retroreflector tape on your bike.
If they were whirring around on your wheels, I'd imagine the blue/red reflection of car headlights would give similar attention to what you're aiming for.

mechBgon

On the wheels, it would meld into a blur of no particular color when in motion. I do have blue reflective tape on my bike and it hasn't set off any comments from police.

dahut

Use white strobes instead. Or yellow ones.
The thing to do is draw attention to yourself for the sake of visibility, while not appearing to be a police vehicle. There are many options that achieve this aim, that don't involve blue and red combinations.

Jessie_James

I'm a little late to the topic here, but I have always felt it's best to use standard colors as used by cars. I use red for rear facing surfaces just like cars do, and white and yellow for front facing surfaces.

Drivers should automatically understand that you're a vehicle and which direction you are moving based on the colors they see. Of course, those colors are also the most visible.

Finally, I don't know about everyone else, but I've noticed that as an older guy I am unable to pinpoint the actual location of blue LEDs any more. They appear fuzzy to me, and my depth perception on blue LEDs is gone. Therefore, if you are using a blue LED, older drivers might think you are farther or closer than you really are, and end up doing something dangerous.

p2templin

Don't ask a cop - as much as you want them to know the law, I'd assume they focus on the few things mentioned in the pre-shift briefing. Go online, and read your state's transportation code. In Texas, the code only regulates flashing red lights - blue, green, amber are all legit.

From my photography experience however, I'd recommend sticking to white. Coloration (except for LEDs, perhaps) diminishes the amount of light leaving the unit, so why throw away light you've already bought?

dougmc

Your advice is excellent, all of it, except for one thing ...

Most flashers nowadays are LEDs, and the LEDs emit most of their light in the desired color (it's not absorbed by colored plastic or anything), so there's no issue about adding a filter to throw away any light as you suggested. If I recall correctly, Texas law doesn't like rear-facing white lights (unless you're going in reverse, in which case they're not rear-facing any more), but I've never heard of the police harassing a cyclist with a rear facing white light.

Plutonix

Two things I came across some time ago are:
a) All reflectors are not created equal. CPSC approved reflectors must have 3 angled surfaces. Something like the Radbot with its EU approved reflector wouldnt cut it because it only has 2 angles. Some states may specify a CPSC reflector. If so, even with a bunch of PBSFs and DZ on the rear and a bank of Magicshines on the front your bike might not be street legal if you took off the reflector.

b) The reason pedals come with the orange on reflectors is that many states require them. Most simply require them on any bike that is being sold but some may require them on the road.

p2templin

I thought about my reply and my prior experience with firefighting, which led me to two additional points I want to add:

1: I'm going to revise my prior color suggestions. No red to the front, no white to the back, follow your transportation code for everything else.

2: The other reason not to ask a cop about the law is sometimes they're wrong. If you follow the law, you might still get stopped/ticketed by an errant cop. Here in TX, it's only illegal to USE red flashing lights, but a state trooper was known for ticketing volunteer firefighters for POSSESSING a red/blue lightbar on their vehicles while transiting the Interstate highway. It helps to know that you're right in those situations.