Originally Posted by
randomgear
If your lighting setup causes drivers to be confused as to what you are (a cyclist), what direction you are going in, and what speed you are traveling at, then you aren't helping yourself. Put another way, if they can see you but can't understand what they are seeing then expect confused behavior on their end.
Personally, I would go with multiple ready lights on steady, and one very bight flashing rear light. For the front, one very bright flashing light and one light on steady (only when it's dark) to help light the road. YMMV
Motorists, while often stupid, do not often crash into police cars and ambulances because they have confusing light colors. These light arrays are designed to attract the most attention possible and do so with busy, alternating, and varied lights. I really don't feel that most drivers here are competent and coherent enough to process the light color to determine which direction I'm traveling. Drivers here often slow down and gawk for every type of blinking light - I feel that this is an advantage.