Thank you VR. I've been riding daily for three years now — the Speedmachine since last June, and mountain bikes before that. Confession: I don't commute (I work at home) but I ride an hour and a half every day, 365 days a year, sun, rain, snow, whatever, usually during the evening rush hour because that's the best time for me to get away.

So compared to a pair of Cateye LD600's, I believe the lights have made a big improvement in my safety. Drivers give me more room when they pass, at least half the lane in most cases.

The tail/brake light is inherently more effective than a flashing blinky because it gives drivers more information than just my position. It tells them something about my intentions. When I hit the brake I can see the vehicles in my mirror slowing down. They don't come up as close behind when we're stopped in traffic either.

The turn signals are the best feature, though. They make the whole intersection thing a lot more predictable and drivers seem to appreciate that. I have always used hand signals and the problem I found is that a lot of people don't understand them. If I stick my left hand up to signal a right turn, probably a third of the drivers don't know what it means. I can tell by their hesitation. But they understand a flashing light. And taking the lane to make a left turn seems much more secure now. I can see the drivers around me reacting and backing off because they know what I'm doing. All in all it's more like riding a motorcycle than a bicycle.