Share The Road With Epileptics
10-21-12, 12:41 AM
#51
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What rate of flashing light can trigger seizures?
Between 3 and 30 hertz (flashes per second) are the common rates to trigger seizures, but this varies from person to person. While some people are sensitive at frequencies up to 60 hertz, sensitivity under 3 hertz is not common. (excerpt from the site below).
https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/ab...sitiveepilepsy
Just googling it seems a lot of lights have a flash rate of 2 per second. But 5 and up towards 9 were not uncommon. It's actually pretty hard to find out what the rate is. I think this is enough specualtion though. I'll email the suppliers, or some advocates or something. Again thanks.
Between 3 and 30 hertz (flashes per second) are the common rates to trigger seizures, but this varies from person to person. While some people are sensitive at frequencies up to 60 hertz, sensitivity under 3 hertz is not common. (excerpt from the site below).
https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/ab...sitiveepilepsy
Just googling it seems a lot of lights have a flash rate of 2 per second. But 5 and up towards 9 were not uncommon. It's actually pretty hard to find out what the rate is. I think this is enough specualtion though. I'll email the suppliers, or some advocates or something. Again thanks.
10-24-12, 01:31 AM
#52
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I want to be sensitive to the health issues of folks, and certainly when someone with photosensitive epilepsy is encountering a flashing bike light, but I'm also concerned about my safety and the safety of other cyclists on the road when nobody with that condition is nearby.
From the Epilepsy Foundation website:
So rounding up, it's fair to say there are 100,000 folks in the United States with photosensitive epilepsy, with few being over age 20, and the majority being children and adolescents. Maybe 30,000 adults over age 20 with the condition. Other people who do not have epilepsy can also experience seizures when exposed to flickering lights.
Since replacing some lesser lights and aquiring two models of bright 'low price' lights -- two Planet Bike Blaze 2w, two Portland Design Works Radbot 1000 1w -- I've often noticed a behavior change in car traffic around me as drivers give me more room and seem to become aware of me sooner than before. I think this is good for everyone.
I run all lights flashing during the day. At night, front steady -- I think the PB Blaze 2w is too intense to flash at night for drivers -- and the rear still flashing.
I wanted to put the numbers of people with photosensitive epilepsy on the table, so cyclists have more information to make their own decisions about the blinking light issue.
As an aside, when on my bike, I prefer to follow another cyclist with a steady tail light.
From the Epilepsy Foundation website:
Epilepsy affects more than three million Americans. For about 3 percent of them, exposure to flashing lights at certain intensities or to certain visual patterns can trigger seizures. This condition is known as photosensitive epilepsy.
Photosensitive epilepsy is more common in children and adolescents, especially those with generalized epilepsy, in particular juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. It becomes less frequent with age, with relatively few cases in the mid twenties.
Many people are unaware that they are sensitive to flickering lights or to certain kinds of patterns until they have a seizure. They may never go on to develop epilepsy, which is characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures, though a seizure may be triggered by certain photic conditions. Many individuals who are disturbed by light exposure do not develop seizures but experience other symptoms such as headache, nausea, dizziness and more. They do not have epilepsy.
Photosensitive epilepsy is more common in children and adolescents, especially those with generalized epilepsy, in particular juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. It becomes less frequent with age, with relatively few cases in the mid twenties.
Many people are unaware that they are sensitive to flickering lights or to certain kinds of patterns until they have a seizure. They may never go on to develop epilepsy, which is characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures, though a seizure may be triggered by certain photic conditions. Many individuals who are disturbed by light exposure do not develop seizures but experience other symptoms such as headache, nausea, dizziness and more. They do not have epilepsy.
Since replacing some lesser lights and aquiring two models of bright 'low price' lights -- two Planet Bike Blaze 2w, two Portland Design Works Radbot 1000 1w -- I've often noticed a behavior change in car traffic around me as drivers give me more room and seem to become aware of me sooner than before. I think this is good for everyone.
I run all lights flashing during the day. At night, front steady -- I think the PB Blaze 2w is too intense to flash at night for drivers -- and the rear still flashing.
I wanted to put the numbers of people with photosensitive epilepsy on the table, so cyclists have more information to make their own decisions about the blinking light issue.
As an aside, when on my bike, I prefer to follow another cyclist with a steady tail light.
Last edited by Blue Roads; 10-24-12 at 01:47 AM.
10-24-12, 07:25 PM
#53
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Also from the website referenced in post #52:
Which leads me to think that driving being a privilege and not a right then epileptics should be required to be screened for this in order to be licensed to drive, and if found with this condition not granted a license so as to not endanger them or others. Why should we allow those few folks to endanger the rest of us? Why should the masses change their behavior?
Check with your doctor if you are concerned about flashing lights triggering seizures. Chances are that your medical records will indicate how you responded to flashing lights during the electroencephalogram (EEG), a test done routinely in most people with epilepsy. During this test, sensors are attached to the patient’s scalp to monitor the electrical activity of the brain in various conditions, including light stimulation generated by a strobe positioned in front of the eyes. An abnormal response when the patient is exposed to various frequencies of flashing lights indicates the presence of photosensitivity. If you have not been diagnosed with epilepsy or have not had this type of test, ask your doctor about ordering one for you, or consult a local neurologist.
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Sir Mark, Knight of Sufferlandria
Sir Mark, Knight of Sufferlandria
10-31-12, 08:50 AM
#54
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Blinkys are one thing, but as a trucker (who commutes by bike!) on the road all day I can tell you that the extreme flashers (i.e. the z-z-POP kind) are dangerous in two ways. First, they are intensely annoying to drivers (think bull, red flag). Second, they have this 'magnet' effect, whereby as a driver you feel drawn to them rather than keeping your eyes on the road. Interestingly, in the dark the thing I notice more than anything are old-school reflector pedals. It's probably the motion, or the fact that they uniquely signal 'bicycle', but my brain registers 'bike-avoid' a long way off when they show up in my headlights.
11-10-12, 02:36 PM
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Also from the website referenced in post #52:
Which leads me to think that driving being a privilege and not a right then epileptics should be required to be screened for this in order to be licensed to drive, and if found with this condition not granted a license so as to not endanger them or others. Why should we allow those few folks to endanger the rest of us? Why should the masses change their behavior?
Which leads me to think that driving being a privilege and not a right then epileptics should be required to be screened for this in order to be licensed to drive, and if found with this condition not granted a license so as to not endanger them or others. Why should we allow those few folks to endanger the rest of us? Why should the masses change their behavior?
11-19-12, 04:02 AM
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In this thread this is the one sentence that most stood out to me. You bring up a situation to try to help a set of people and YOU call them freaks - nobody else in here said anything disparaging. Really? Do you have epilepsy? If so you should stop propogating such terms. If not, you should stop propogating such terms.
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