Flashing lights get noticed more than steady beams, as others have observed. What hasn't been mentioned is that front lights are even more important than rear lights.

Being rear-ended by another vehicle, though devastating, is quite rare. Last I looked it accounted for only about 3% of cycling fatalities. Being hit from the front, by vehicles turning across your lane, or pulling out in front of you at an intersection, is far more common. So having a flashing light at the front makes even more sense than having one at the rear.

I use a flashing light because I like it.

There may be other reasons as well, but that sentence seems to fit the bill.

I use my flashing headlight to flush out any drivers who may have photosensitive epilepsy. I can be a dick like that.

Here I've seen riders use flashing front light on the MUP. It's beyond me.

Tried using a flashing headlight once, but found that you couldn't even see it because my main headlight overwhelmed it.

basically, the 'to see' light is so bright that it overwhelms any flashing 'to be seen' light, making them redundant. if i were to find a flasher powerful enough to compete with my steady light, id probably just set it to steady as well to get even more ability to see the road....
conclude, no point in flashing except as either a stopgap where you don't have a 'to see' light available or where street lighting is already good

Motorists are used to seeing things on the road, standard things, and a flashing headlight is not one of them. Think about the percentage of people who ride their bike at night. You may do it on a regular basis, but you represent a smidgen of what is on the road.

I commuted for three years on graves, and only used blinkies in the rear, and red at that. When people discovered I was riding my bike at 4:00 a.m. in the winter, or 10 p.m. in the summer, they asked how I made myself visible. 95% of them said my white front blinkie is worse than a steady beam. A decent headlamp (Magicshine, MiNewt 600) is all you need to be seen. If a motorist doesn't see that, they are not going to see one flashing.

Your experience may vary, but on a large scale, flashing whites are not good for night-blind drivers. Again, my personal experience.

It is remarkable how two conclusions can be reached form the same scenario. Not saying you are wrong, just noting that the difference is stark.

I use flashing lights. Most people still tend to agree that they're more visible than steady lights. I have two MS in the front, when both are on fast strobe people do get out of my way and I get noticed by drivers more. And two or three PBSF on the back. And still plenty of reflective elements.

Well the longest battery run time life is in flash mode.

But I actually ride with a Dynohub and stand-light Head/tail-light.
it stays on at stops., capacitor discharge not battery.

I ride at dawn and dusk, rarely in dark. Rural roads in a coastal fog, drizzly environment. One nasty 800' long tunnel (with 55 mph traffic and NO shoulder). I use flashing front (white) and rear (red) as my driving experience tells me I'm more visible though my friends point out what really makes me visible is the eye searing lime green jacket (Pearl Izumi) that they spot from a 1/2 mile away. I'm thinking of upgrading my rear Cateye with a brighter (more watts) red, say a Cherry Bomb or Super Flash as that's the end of the bike I'm most concerned about. I see a fair number of coastal 101 touring cyclists, none have lights and that bothers me but their choice.

Flashing light or blinky as I call it, helps to BE SEEN. IMO, if you ride in traffic, and I ride in heavy traffic, with cars zooming pass me at 50mph plus, you must be SEEN. The end result of not being seen are CASTROPHIC!!

Flashling lights can be seen out people's peripheral vision. That means they can see you even if they are not looking that way. For bicyclists, that is a good thing. However, it all boils down to "each his/her own".. Just like some people chose not to wear a helmet, so riders will chose not to have blinking/flashing lights too.

On my commute, I will always have flashing lights. Cars give me respect with flashing lights and 98% of the time don't take my rightaway..

BTW, my flashing lights are super bright too...

Perhaps, but judging depth with a blinking white light while driving in the dark is more difficult than with a steady beam. You have to put yourself in the motorist's frame of mind. They may see you, but they may not be able to tell how close they are until they are on top of you.

It apears that your run more than one headllight like I do. If that is case ,that solution is easy. Just run one blinky doing the daytime. IMO, no need for a steady doing the day. At night, I don't run flashing/blinking up front, just steady.

I run strong lights up front, and have noticed how cars have STOPPED crossing in front of me, pulling out in front of me, and otherwise taking my rightofway. That is because of the strong lights up front. In the daytime, I run blinky up front. Blinky all the time in the rear..

I hear a lot of people whining about bright lights on bicycles. To them I ask, how many accidents have happened because somebody got blinded by bicycle lights opposed to how many bicyclists have been killed/maimed from not being seen??? A no brainer if you ask me..

I have two flashing headlights and the offset of the flashing cycles makes it very visible I have been told. I certainly think it stands out much more than a solid light would.

I go to flash mode during dusk/dawn when I don't need a light to see or if I goof up and realize I dont have much battery left and I need more battery life to get home. That's about it.

I also hear people on group rides love it when the guy in back has a really bright blinkie.

I regularly use mine on the bike path when it's light out. It helps make me more visible when the path crosses roads, as well as to the people who want to keep left when walking towards me. Most of the compliments I get about my lights (a Magicshine on the handlebars and a Viz360 on the helmet) are from people on the bike path.

I usually leave the light on blinking for the duration of the ride, every week there's someone who seems to suddenly realize I'm there that I wouldn't expect to have noticed me without it.

You're too modest......

I do. I find it gets driver attention better than a solid light during daylight. So in daylight, if its gloomy or raining, I run a single flasher up front and a flasher rear.

At night I run 2 lights, a solid on my helmet (275,400 or 600 lumen switchable, though I'm almost always at 400) and a flashing one on my handlebar (600 Lumen flashing). The helmet one helps me see the road and is angled downward, the flasher is to get driver attention but is also angled slightly downwards. I also have a 2 Watt rear blinker, a couple of blinkers on my backpack and blinkers on my spokes (one per wheel). I have been told multiple times by drivers I look like a UFO.

Funny thing, in all the time commuting with this setup, today morning was the first time I ever got an adverse reaction. A driver yelled at me to turn off the flasher (it was the only one I had on) today morning, ironically, a few minutes before she had almost turned into me because she wasn't paying attention and didn't see me. I chalked it to someone with an attitude problem

[QUOTE=SnowJob;14254261
BTW, in many places flashing lights are illegal to use except for emergency vehicles. That's true here in Minneapolis, but I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket or a warning because of their flashing front or rear lights.[/QUOTE]
Hmm, didn't know that, and I once had an interesting conversation with a bike cop, turns out the lights I use (Niterider 600s) are the same ones used by bike cops. Explains why once when riding through the park I had a bunch of shady looking people scatter when they saw me coming. Haven't had any issues with cops about the front flasher.

Technically illegal here, but any cops pass smile and wave. I'm thinking they appreciate bicyclists who are uber visible

My favorite setup is two headlamps. One that stays steady all the time. Another that I switch to blinking when in town and switch to steady state when in the country, or dark stretch of town, like MUP, for instance.

When I was hit last year during daylight conditions, I was in a bike lane. Had the motorist used his mirrors (as he claimed) and I had been using my headlight in flashing mode, I *MAY* have attracted his attention enough to avoid having been right hooked.

I now ride with a MiNewt 600 Cordless in flashing mode during the daylight/lowlight rides to prevent a daytime incident. At night that light is switched to walk mode, and a MiNewt 200 is used in flash, unless I feel particularly vulnerable, then I'll use the MN600 in flash or a higher steady condition. On my helmet I use a MiNewt X2 on the low setting during lowlight/night rides to spotlight problems, investigate objects, and to allow crossing traffic to know where I'm looking.

The helmet light was instrumental in allowing me to get the license plate of a car that had a couple of idiots hanging out of it throwing eggs at me. The car was pulled over after ditching the idiots, but they were later arrested. One was convicted of harassment, the other's lawyer worked out a deal with me. I got two kids bikes (nearly $400 value) to donate to a cycling charity for that.

Never underestimate the value of good lights.

Yup. It's definitely beyond me.

I have 3 headlights. I use the brightest in steady mode (Niterider classic 12v), an LED flashlight in flashing mode and save the 3rd one (generator backup) for when the other two fail. I ride on high speed arterial roads past busy shopping malls and strip malls... I want to stand out like an alien mother ship... and with all that background light... I will take any advantage I can get.

The steady headlight gives me good light to see by and gives good "see me" light, I don't even notice the flashing LED headlight except on very reflective signs... but I know that anyone looking anywhere in my direction probably sees that light. I do the same with tail lights... I have one steady, and two blinkies... one of which is a PB super flash. I'm tellin' ya if a motorist hits me and says "I didn't see you," that guy is legally blind.

I'd also say that in urban settings, simply having a flashing light isn't enough. Don't feel that the cheapest light you can get will keep you out of trouble. You need to have enough light to compete with your surroundings. I say this because, last week a 28 year old woman in Portland was right hooked by a semi truck and died from her injuries. I noticed in the news video coverage of the collision that there was a small flashing light under the truck. You can see it in the second photo here (just in front of the tire).

Be safe out there folks.