Originally Posted by
chaadster
... An attention-getting light array only works to the extent that attention is given.
Yes, this is true. This is why the sooner you get someone's attention the better. Now to do that you need some real output if you want to do that during the day. Few people if they see something bright and flashing a quarter mile on the side of the road will disregard it and start doing something that would take their eyes off the road. This of course is not a universal truth as there are plenty of morons who take stupid chances AND are not concerned the least if something is going on up ahead of them on the side of the road. If someone is driving but not watching the road it won't take long before the vehicle starts to wonder. Everyone that drives knows this. Still people take chances, I see it all the time.
Originally Posted by
chaadster
...Another big problem is that humans just aren't that good at determining the closing rate of an upcoming object, which in turn leads to incorrect responses.
*Oh I think most people do very well at judging closing distance as long as their eyes are on the road. ( *assuming that they aren't otherwise physically impaired in some way ) If they didn't why would anyone want to drive a car? The real problem is bad driving habits; stuff like following someone too closely, impatience, driving too fast and of course taking your eyes off the road for too long. It is these things that lead to incorrect driver reactions which of course lead to accidents. People who do these things on a regular basis are the cyclist's worst enemy.
Originally Posted by
chaadster
...Anyway, it might be that that obnoxious, super-bright flashing taillights decrease the likelihood of getting hit, but I think it would be hard to show supporting evidential data for that claim.
Some things are just common sense. Just look at all the vehicles that use high intensity lighting. Police, Fire Dept, Road crews, Utility trucks, school buses...yadda, yadda. These are organizations that are not only "On the road" and moving but sometimes. "On the road but STOPPED and out of the vehicle". They want people to see them and not hit them. If multiple levels of bright flashing lights weren't helping to some degree, "Why would the governments that finance their budgets continue to waste money on excessive lighting? Could they all be that wrong in assuming that brighter flashing lights actually help?