In general, I find myself among those who feel that there is nothing wrong with this setup, but not likely enough benefit to justify the hassle and expense of the light. The question about a small spot on the vest instead of the whole thing being lit up is also a good one.
More important is that this can only have a useful effect with a
fluorescent vest - which doesn't have to be reflective for the light to be useful. This is because the reflective material is retroreflective, which means that it reflects light back at the source. Shining light from your flashlight back at your flashlight is going to do absolutely no good for making you visible to cars. While I don't have the knowledge ATM to prove it, I agree with the person who said that by the time the driver can see your flashlight on your vest he would already be able to see your vest with his own headlights. For a fluorescent vest it doesn't matter if the left (driver's side) headlight is out - the right headlight will be equally effective, unlike any reflector.
Originally Posted by akohekohe
Originally Posted by buzzman
Okay, I've been thinking lately of buying a relatively cheap flashing front bike light and mounting it on the milk crate on the back of my bike and aiming it at my back.
Bad idea unless you use a red or yellow lens over the headlight. White light is supposed to be pointed in the direction of travel. With a white on the rear you could easily mistaken for a salmon, so once they pass you they could inadvertently right hook you because they think you are traveling in the opposite direction ... and whose fault would that be?
The proposal is to put the light on the back of the bike meaning behind the seatpost, but aimed on the order of 60 degrees above the
forward horizon (i.e. aimed somewhat towards the front, but probably mostly at the sky.)
Tor