I have been commuting 18 miles to work for the past few years now and my lighting has evolved. I ride into work from westchester at about 10 pm and home the next day after work and school at about 11am so my exposure is both at night and day. I am in a city environment, a suburban environment as well as a desolate business environment. In order to insure that I am seen, my lighting is a fenix TK45 at the rear...I usually keep it on strobe and slightly pointed downward. My question....finally!....is I have read that some readers here who drive for a living, say that this is not the best manner of being noticed...my question is why? Both of my lights, front and rear are kept on strobe when I am in traffic areas and so far I have no issue. Don't we want to be seen? Any feedback is appreciated

I do not drive for a living. I am car free for a very long time. I bike up to 500 miles a month often extending my 15 minute mandatory commute to one hour just for fun. I ride in traffic and on narrow heavily traveled neighborhood streets A LOT. I started running a strobe up front last summer along with a rear strobe both day and night - except I turn the front light to steady on after dark (the strobe is just downright rude after nightfall). Front light is 500watts, rear is 300watts - both angled slightly downward.

OK...here is the deal: I have noticed an incredible improvement in the numbers of motorists seeing me and respecting me as a road user since beginning my light experiment. It is actually unbelievable the difference that new light habit has made for me. My only theory is that most road users need a little more warning when approaching a cyclist, or encountering a cyclist at a road crossing and the lights provide that warning. And maybe they think I'm a cop. But the vast majority do not bolt out in front of me and seem to pass with a safer margin. Perhaps they are more worried about my safety because I SEEM worried about safety when displaying a carnival array of lights.

There are still times when I go Ninja in sketchy hoods. Otherwise I am sure I am visible from outer space.

Just my take from behind the handlebars. Be interesting if a few motorist/cyclists with experience SEEING us with out lights would chime in here.

Nice post.

I've read that flashing lights attract drunk drivers the way a flame attracts moths. Apart from that, flashing lights are distracting and annoying.

So arguably drivers are more likely to see you if your lights are flashing. The question is, are they less likely to hit you? I'm not saying they will intentionally hit you because the like is annoying, but it puts the driver in a sub-optimal mental state. The chances that the driver will look away from you are increased. So the drunk drivers a fixating on you and the sober ones are trying to drive in a direction they aren't looking.

On the other hand, when I'm driving and I see a flashing light in the distance my first reaction is to think that it's a bicycle.

Steady at night.

Ideally, my rear flasher would be amber - like a pothole marker. Motorists get conditioned to avoiding running into or over an amber light. I guess there is some good reason why the really bright ones (like Dinotte) are red.

The answer is easy. Use two. One flashing and one steady. Then you're covered both ways.

As a completely non-scientific experience, I started using front white flasher to complement my rear red flasher. I have this on all my bikes for commuting, solo recreational rides and on my group rides, the front white flashing only (I don't want to annoy the buddies riding my rear wheel). I use this for daytime rides as I don't commute at night.

My experience is that drivers and pedestrians yield more frequently when I am using the front flasher. I see less cars pulling out of driveways and shopping malls as well as fewer cars attempting left hooks.

My theory is that for a motorists, seeing a cyclist is common enough that it's almost an immediate out-of-sight, out-of-mind scenario. Then they underestimate your speed and you are now getting cut off. With the front blinker, it's almost like they do a double take and now need to calculate if they have time to make their move. That hesitation often results in their not making the move that results in my being cut off, but no proof, just 2 years real world experiences that it seems to make a difference.

And as answer to Andy, distracting and annoying to whom ?. The motorist about to run you over ?. Too friggin bad. If it helps me be seen it's doing it's job.

^^Again...my exact experience. And if I have to be "obnoxious" to be "seen" and recognized as a moving vehicle then I will do so without the slightest hesitation.

Flashing in the day front and back.
At night, steady up front, BOTH in the back - bright steady light, the not so bright light on flash mode.

My point was that drivers don't drive as well when they are annoyed and distracted. Whether or not that effect is in play here is a matter for debate.

The other thing I forgot to mention is that apparently people are unable to correctly estimate the moving speed of a flashing light as well as they can a steady light. I believe there's an actual scientific explanation for this one, but I don't know what it is offhand.

+1

Flashing light gets attention.

Steady light gives relative velocity and location information.

I run both flashing and steady in the back and flashing and steady in the front (both daytime and nighttime) because I want to be seen and I want them to judge my location and velocity as accurately as possible.

I run two battery chargers at my desk, if that's an indication of my commitment to the idea.

The snow removal trucks did a study. In short, the strobe lights did not avoid the trucks from being rear ended. They discover that with a combination of steady and strobe they reduced the rear end accidents. The steady light gives the driver approaching from behind a better way to judge the closure rate than just strobes alone. I used strobes and steady both front and rear. I use 500 lumen dynamo on steady and a 450(night) 700 (day) (700 cygolite expillion) lumen blinking. On the rear 1.5 w dynamo steady and a Serfas, I think is a 6w, blinking on the rear.

I get notice and experience the same reaction from drivers like Joey and Steve. Double O

I haven't used anything up front (although I just recently added a cateye reflex). In the rear I usually have a PB Superflash on flash mode and will use my ultrafire red flashlight (steady mode only) on occasions as well.

I also use passive things like reflective tape (on the rim), panniers, and vest. So basically like tsl, use both.

Having been a motorcyclist I am positive beyond doubt that having the flasher installed on my headlights gets attention and visibility from oncoming traffic that tends to cut left across a motorcycles path. I see no reason a bicycle is different. On motorcycles, loud pipes, bright lights (flashing in day) saves lives.

I just got a new light for my SCC.

LC

They might very well become annoyed, but distracted ?. Annoyed comes after they notice your annoying white blinking light. But now they've seen you and that's the point. Distracted ?, maybe at night, but probably not as likely during daylight

For the road bike I ride mostly in the day I use the Dinotte 1200L + for the front and the Dinotte 300R for the rear. "Both on strobe", both are battery powered. If I ride this bike at night I use the "steady on" light setting (lowest brightness) for the front and "strobe setting" for the rear. I have had several people come up beside me and say how good they can see the rear light (in the daylight) and want to know what brand/model it is.

In reference to the front light I have saw a significant increase in people "waiting" to pull out from side streets when I am approaching them (day or night). Using a rear light drivers coming from behind now give me way more respect (most of them anyway) than having no light on at all by waiting and/or passing safely around me. This is after over 6000 miles and over 1 1/2 years with these lights.

My other road bike is an E-bike I use to commute at night. It has a Trelock LS 875 40 Lux headlight and the Trelock 820 rear light using the Shimano Allfine Dynamo front hub for power. Both lights are "on steady" (only option with these). I have had no issues with not being seen and given plenty of room when being passed or when approaching vehicles pulling out of side streets. This is after 2 months and over 1000 miles with these lights.

I agree that during the day it's not nearly as much of an issue, and flashing is probably better in that case.

At night, depending on how bright your light is and how spasticly it flashes, a driver might look away to get it out of his peripheral vision. That's the last thing you want. The ideal is for a driver to be aware of you and have you in his peripheral vision but not be looking at you. I think a flashing light at night is detrimental to this goal.

I run daytime flash up front, always when playing in traffic. Hope that it makes me more noticeable, particularly to left turning oncoming autos. Flashing rear sometimes, don't think it is quite as important in daylight.
Usually steady on main headlight, cygolite 420, low setting, with smaller flashing blue skull led light on head tube at night. Flashing blue, possibly drunks associate with police, hopefully avoid rather than steer towards.
At night, hotshot on flash mode up higher and rack light on steady.
Ride and commute a fair amount after dark and this set up seems to work well for me.

Not all states allow flashing lights other than red, could be trying to reduce their potential liability for illegal lighting choices? (Of course, white strobing lights are illegal many places, too, and I can't recall any headlight manufacturer warning not to use strobe mode where it's against the law, so maybe red is simply easier or cheaper?)

Unless you're me and the only flashing light you have gets hidden by the steady one...Seriously 600 Lumen flashlight will completely hide a Planet Bike 2W in strobe mode unless within about 50 ft.

Thanks to everyone for your insights. I'm sticking with strobes front and back during the day and strobes out back and steady in the front at night. Safe riding to riding to all!!

I didn't need to (but I did anyway) Google up a Fenix TK-45 to know that it would be a white light emitter. Why is the o.p. running this on the rear of his bicycle? Why? So drivers will think that a rogue cyclist is on a head on collision path and be so terrified they will soil themselves and have to cancel their dinner plans? My PlanetBike Superflash has a bug. Many times after being set to flashing, I will discover at trips end that it is on steady. I don't know why it does this but it does it more than not. Obviously I still make it home alive even with the light on steady. I think by now, most motorists associate red flashing lights with bicycles. They don't need to know how fast you are going! Relarive to their speed, yours is essentially zero. That they know you are there and to be avoided is the important information. That is best conveyed by the flash patterns built into most rear blinkies. You don't need to disguise your bike as a pothole <slaps forehead> many vehicles on the road (Escalades) are unfazed by road hazards like potholes! I would not take comfort in the fact that in my disguise as a pothole some knuckle dragger trying to impress the coed he just picked up, aims for me as he shows off the active suspension he just paid $3,000 for. Honestly, you guys way overthink safety. Front lights that blink are not that great for seeing! Front lights that strobe are better for seeing and being seen. That's why they exist. Mostly I use my front lights on steady. I haven't found the need to strobe oncoming traffic. Rear, I like to flash. Steady apparently works as well. Red is what's legal so I run with that. It really is that simple.

H

I have 2,5 watt lights in front and 1/2 watt in back.....Made in Germany.....connects to the hub.

If you can't see me,maybe you shouldn't be texting,yacking on the phone,reading the newspaper,puting on makeup,making breakfast,slapping the kids in the back seat,getting dressed,shaving,watching a movie,ect. ect.

There are no magic lights that keep you getting run over,if it's your turn,your going to get run over,2000 watts of light and all.

The problem is people are busy doing everything but driving while.....supposedly driving.There are no lights to fix that.

i run a planet bike superflash on the front day (flash during the day and would run steady if I rode at night.) sometimes when cloudy I have a little silicone 1 led light i run on solid so people can just my speed.

I have a 7 LED light on the back. I forgot the name. 5 red and two yellow (side firing) I run it during the day. . I also have a light 3 led on solid in the rear of my pannier on the mornings when it is especially cloudy or foggy.

I am thinking about putting my superflash on the rear of my bike too. since it is bright and noticeable.