Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Decades?! Maybe a bit over a decade. The technology for strobe lights didn’t really exist prior to LED bicycle lights and those didn’t really come into vogue until around 2010. And I really doubt that billions of dollars (assuming that’s the currency you are talking about) have been spent on developing bicycle strobes. I doubt billions of dollars have been spent on researching lights for bicycles since the invention of bicycles.
I am sure that flashing lights have existed since the early 2000's at least. Nevertheless, they are practically expected by the majority of drivers and, more importantly, law enforcement authority figures. I don't use mine in the daytime, because I'd rather save the batteries for when they are really needed.
All that said, I have little fear of riding without lights! 45 years in urban traffic and no serious collisions ... no collisions ever, to date. It ain't luck! You CAN prevent most collisions by riding defensively, and by not putting responsibility for your safety onto the shoulders of total strangers. I'm not telling you that, I figure you know that already. When I turn on the flasher it is so that if I wind up in an accident no one can say "see, if he had had flashers ...", but I would never suggest to someone (as has been done in this thread) that they should use flashers to prevent an accident. They do not, and cannot. Ride defensively.