Originally Posted by
Darth Lefty
I am just not buying this specific scenario. The supposed attacker is not going to be surprised by a bike light that's been on for your entire approach, and you're not going to remember to turn it on just for him.
I didn't say surprised.
I said stopped for 2 seconds to react.
If he sees you coming from a mile away he's still not going to be able to see how big you are like he might in normal ambient light from the road. And there is a big difference between the light from 100 feet away and 3 feet away. As he gets closer and the flashing is annoying it only needs to make him pause for 1-2 seconds to give you time to get away
I am assuming you are already riding and moving. Not stopped.
Hell the flashing light may be enough for him to say "Screw this. I'll wait for the next guy" from 100 feet away. Maybe the light means too much attention. Maybe the light makes him think for 3 seconds about if he wants to attack you, by which point you are already past him.
To be fair....in this thought exercise...maybe the light lets him notice you when he wouldn't have before. So there can be a down side.
To your point though...there are very specific circumstances where it could help. And those are limited. The angle of approach matters, the distance from the attacker, your speed, etc.