Hard to say if it was better, but the on / off effect of the rotating wheels caught my eye right away. I thought it was a good idea. It was clear to me right away that it was a moving vehicle instead of a reflector on a fence or a mailbox, etc. Once in a while a bike that is going straight and steady it's hard to identify as a bike untill it gets a little closer. Even with a car coming the same direction as the bike, the flashing of the wheel tape was easy to pick out from the background.