Some people mount red tail lights facing forward instead of using headlights.

EXACTLY WHAT MESSAGE ARE THEY TRYING TO CONVEY?

I can think of a few, all of them stupid:

"Don't worry about hitting me, because I'm not really coming your way. Just drive anywhere you want."

"Hey, I bet you didn't expect this."

"Made you look!"

"Hi! I'm different!"

Somehow, I think none of these is the intention. So WHAT THE WHAT is the intention? I have a feeling it's something I will not be able to comprehend.

There are a few people around here who have done that. And they have a the white light on the rear.

I just think they are assisting in culling the herd at the expense of some poor soul who hits them.

But I agree it is just a shake your head and don't ask scenario. There was some movie quote about being more stupid after the answer, this applies I think.

I don't think I've ever seen this. And glad I haven't. Why do some people like to advertise their stupidity so loudly?

Seen one rider that had Side White Rear lights in addition to RED tail lights.

The White ones were pointed down and seem to accent both sides which showed that it was a bike.

And I recall one of them defending this idea quite strenuously. It's moronic.

Isn't there a modern proverb along the following lines, you can't argue with stupid.

My headlight battery has a died on me a few times. Sometimes I have two taillights. In those circumstances I toss the spare taillight upfront since it's better than nothing.

It's also illegal................

I have a flashing red taillight, a white headlight, and on one of my bikes flashing red spokelit lights for late night riding. I have seen some people do the red in front & white on the rear thing,... It totally confuses drivers - including me when I drive MY car when I have to. To me, it's rediculous.

"I'm colorblind!"

I once saw someone with flashing red and white lights. I don't think the NYPD would look to kindly on that.

"I'm riding my fixie backwards"?

Haha, now that is hipster.

They seem to be coming over the Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn.

Kinda like someone I saw turn around their helmet mounted blinky headlight to face backwards. Really annoying when riding behind them and maybe even more confusing than a red light on the wrong side...

Thats a good idea if it was with a green or blue light.
I might try something like this

They're saying they got a free taillight during bike to work day, and are too cheap to buy a white light, and would rather endanger and confuse themselves and others. They are also saying they like people yelling IDIOT at them.

They are probably related to the drivers who turns on the their hazards lights during a heavy downpour.

Not so sure I see an issue with that if they slowed down and are well under the speed limit and visibility is obscured. If they are just driving at speed with them on, then I am with you.

I was driving the other day and saw a bike with 2 blinking reds and 2 blinking whites showing rearwards. I have to say that I can pick out cyclists pretty well when driving, but this light pattern did confuse me and I initially took it to be a stationary road hazard warning. I was mulling why the lights weren't amber when I got close enough so that, "oh a bike", popped into my head. I have no doubt that the cyclist was attempting to enhance visibility; however recognition is important too.

Has anyone noticed that there seems to be a lighting war among newer model vehicles. With all of the bright front and rear displays, it's getting harder to see anything else on the road.

Definitely when vivibility is obscured. One morning I had never seen such rain and as I was ready to pull out of my road onto the main road, I never would have seen the car that went by had he not been driving with his flashers on.

That said, since I started riding and joining the forum last year, I've been wondering why red blinkies and not solid red with amber blinkies. Amber lights on vehicles is pretty much universally used for "caution."

As for people putting red on the front and white on the rear, really, you guys can't figure it out? This allows them to salmon without anyone noticing

Possibly the message is "why is it so hard to buy amber bike lights?"

I've put my Dinotte on the front once - my headlight battery died and it was pitch black on a country road, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. It got me home.

It would kind of make sense if they always ride against the traffic at night. From a distance they'd appear to be a regular bike, riding correctly.

The people I've seen with front-facing tail lights are riding with traffic. To put this in perspective, it is not nearly as boneheaded to do that than it is to ride against traffic, but it is perplexing, to say the least. [MENTION=190611]joeyduck[/MENTION], I appreciate your "stupider after the answer" point. I will try to bear that in mind to keep me from getting too irritated at stupidity.

That's one good reason. I appreciate that. The incidents I am speaking of are here in NYC where the road is so well lit that a headlight can't even add light to the surface, so that doesn't explain this behavior.

Is it better than nothing? If you used it to see, then yes. If you used it to be seen, I'm not convinced. What message do you think got across to the other road users?

I believe it is ," you can't fix stupid". Right up there with, "the dumb die".