Originally Posted by
01 CAt Man Do
No reason to feel sorry for a person in a car behind you unless perhaps you are stopped at a light and the person is directly behind you. Personally, I'm tired of hearing about, "The cyclist who got hit or killed". No need to feel overly self-conscious because you use a bright rear light. You don't have a ton of metal and air bags surrounding you to protect you. The only way you have to make yourself more safe is to ride smart and to make yourself more visible.
FWIW, I drive for a living and I've yet to see anyone using a rear lamp on a bike that annoyed me. ( unless it was too dim ). The people who constantly rant about "annoyingly bright lights" are usually just haters. They hate cyclists in general and anything a cyclist might use to make themselves more visible/safer. The only reason to use a low powered lamp is for group rides but that is a special situation where people are sometimes only a few feet behind you. Almost any led lamp ( pointed at your face < 10ft ) can be annoying if it's right in your face.
I too am a professional driver and have not encountered a taillight that was too bright for full daylight.
That said, once I did end up behind another cyclist after dark whos taillight was so bright that I had to stop and wait for him to get beyond my line of sight as it totally blinded me. Using a light that's too bright for conditions could endanger other cyclists and pedestrians if it momentarily blinded a motorist.