Originally Posted by
Werkin
I was struck by an SUV while wearing a high-vis green vest and bright yellow helmet, while riding a bicycle on a sunny afternoon. The offending driver had the opportunity to see me from the front, side, and rear before plowing through me. The first thing the driver said was "I was distracted and did not see you". Up to this point that bike had no flashing light, the other bikes I rode did. I have no doubt rear and front flashing lights would have increased my chances of being seen.
I strongly suggest bicyclists wear high-visibility apparel, I do. I also strongly suggest bicyclists use rear and front facing lights in the flashing mode during daylight, I do.
As far as the OP's original question, DiNotte's 300R and 400R (daytime only) lights are bright enough for short & long distances, and off axis viewing. The Hotshot is only bright when viewed in a narrow line of sight channel (~15 degrees) for short distances in daylight. Evaluated in the bright enough for daylight context, the Hotshot is not enough.
The driver that hit you was probably telling the truth. Sad it is when this kind of thing happens. As far as I know DiNotte is the only company marketing rear lamps ( amber and red lights) bright enough to stand out in the day. Hopefully others will follow suit.
While it has been common practice for years for road cyclist not to use lights during the day it should be obvious to all by now that this thinking needs to be reevaluated. Where I live the school buses now use a single white strobe on top to enhance their visibility ( as if being in a yellow/orange school bus wasn't enough ). Keeping with this thought I would see nothing wrong with someone using a white strobe on the rear of their bike to enhance their visibility during the day. Amber would be better but not many of those are available yet. A good "daytime" rear light needs to be in the 500 plus lumen range to be really useful and not many of those being sold.