I use both a solid light and a blinking light on the front handle bars as well as reflective straps on my ankles and a reflective vest. What you see are bright lights and two dancing lights near ground level. That tends to get me a lot of attention:lol:. Cars at cross roads definitely wait if I'm close.

Perception can play tricks on people. The mind has tricks it plays to give us the feeling of depth in what we see, and those tricks can sometimes lead one wrong. I have to take issue with the folks who say that he had to know SOMETHING was there, because in addition to that, you have to know how far away that something is, and how fast the distance is closing. If you are fooled into thinking you aren't as close to an object as you are, and aren't closing in on that object as fast as you actually are, then the simple act of "knowing something is there" isn't going to prevent an accident.

Lights will make you safer, but they won't make you SAFE. It's best to remember that when dealing with other motorists. From personal experience, I know that bicycle blinkies mess with my perception of relative closure, if they're blinking too abruptly. It's like watching dancers under a strobe light. :)

Agreed. Whether the light is steady, blinking, single, or double, it won't let you judge distance with any degree of accuracy unless you either know how bright it is or how far apart the lights are mounted. Putting dual headlights a couple feet apart on handlebars is likely to give the false impression that you are much farther from an observer who is used to seeing vehicle headlights spaced about 5' apart on cars and trucks.

The purpose of the headlight or taillight is to get the attention of drivers so they know there's something up ahead of which they should be aware. The need for an accurate estimate of the distance comes later when they are much closer and can see the size of the cyclist from things like pedal reflectors, jacket/vest outlines, etc. - or the driver can just steer well clear of the light even if they're unsure of the distance.

Very important Point ^^^^

For commuters like myself that run two front lights on the handlebars with separation between them. There is something to be said for having one headlight (In my case, the less powerful one) ON BLINKIE MODE, to lessen/eliminate a mistake in distance estimates by oncoming traffic.

Maybe the batteries died on the front lights, so he moved one of the reds to the front.
I've also shared my lights between 2 bikes when biking with someone else (who had none of their own). Sometimes it meant non-standard light configurations. (i.e. white blinky on the back)

Agreed, but knowing something is there still beats not knowing something is there.

Nothing will ever make us 100% safe (we're not even 100% safe when cased in two tons of metal), it's about being as safe as we can be.

Personally, I think that's the best approach. I want enough lights and reflective material on me and have it arranged in such a manner that I am instantly recognized as a bicyclist. I'll probably never achieve that goal, but it's worth a shot to try.

I'm sorry, but that is both extremely inconsiderate and probably dangerous.

I associate blinking lights at handlebar height with bikes. A solid light at handlebar height also suggests bike, though it can get lost in clutter if it is not bright.

Lights at other locations, like up high, don't immediately say "bike" to me. But they do get my attention, which is probably enough.

I have a lot of lights at night. At the rear, a red blinky on my helmet and a very bright flashing red multi-LED taillight on the bike, with smaller red lights as backups for both. At the front, a small white blinky, a pretty bright Niterider Mini Newt on the bars, and a bright MagicShine clone on the helmet which I turn on when needed. Also TACX white/red running lights in the ends of both drops. Reflective strips on helmet, jacket, bag, rain pants. My wife says I am very visible.