I think it's fine not to use a headlight in the daytime on trails. I just do it anyway.

A blinking light is great for an emergency vehicle traveling at high speeds but for a bicycle it is dangerous and unneeded. I have a to close an eye and look away which is more dangerous. Blinding someone and good safe visibility go in two very divergent directions. Thankfully I am not prone to seizures or it would be dangerous to bike around other people who have a singular focus.

I like lights, bright flashing ones for daylight riding when motor vehicles are present - and I've never once seen an oncoming motorist flash me or flinch in response. Incinerated birds do fall in my path fairly frequently, though.

It is always disturbing when someone has to come in and say well I will keep blasting light at people because I want to do it. Because nobody has made you aware of your intentionally dangerous lighting situation in that situation doesn't make it safe. My eyes don't like a bright flashing light and there are plenty of other people who don't either and some who will get seizures and epileptic fits or aren't skilled riders who will get distracted and crash.

Iif you want to have a bright flashing light then you should point one at yourself as well so you have the same experience as everyone you are subjecting your light to. Having to close an eye and look away is dangerous, extremely dangerous. I am lucky enough to be a decent bike handler and haven't yet gone down but I am sure one day that will come.

I get there are manufacturers who make lights that blink and flash and don't really care, in the end they are in it to make money and if people will buy them.

A light shouldn't blind someone it should allow them to know you are there if they are going to look at it. If you are desperately needing a flashing light use something that isn't a white light try a soft yellow light if you really really need it but nobody else needs your bright flashing light.

I have no intention of trying to change your mind. I'm only posting so that others reading this thread will know that your opinion is not the only one. Many people prefer to ride with flashing lights and, your commentary notwithstanding, I simply haven't heard any stories of accidents created by such lights, but plenty created by riders that weren't seen by cars. You have your opinion, I won't change that, but others reading can decide for themselves which side of the argument makes the most sense. Feel free to have the last word.

I have had to put on the brakes when I was blinded behind the wheel by some cyclist that thought that they were being safer.

And also had a close call while riding a bike last year, I was crossing a major highway on a narrow bridge, wire guards on both sides of the bridge. Near sunset, so it was light enough to see but not bright out, I had removed my sunglasses and put on ones with yellow tint. And some moron on a bike gets on the bridge coming towards me with a flashing super bright light blinded me. Fortunately I have a visor on my helmet so when I moved my head to look down, the visor shielded the bright light from my eyes, but rode for several seconds with one hand in front of my eyes which was not very safe. That moron yelled at me to get out of the way when he almost ran into me as he passed.

But, I am sure you think you are in the right so don't bother responding.

In broad daylight, I don't see how a flashing headlight can bother anyone, but maybe I'm wrong. Am I wrong?

But yes, I have been bothered and even hurt by headlights that are too bright or not well aimed or both. The excuse "it gets people to notice me therefore it's a good idea" is pretty weak. If you punched someone in the face, they would notice you, but it's not a good idea. This is where the German requirement for a cutoff in the beam seems like a good idea, but it only works if the user UNDERSTANDS how it's supposed to work AND ALSO aims it so the top of the beam does not reach faces. Sigh.

I generally don't turn off my dyno headlights. One time we were out riding on the pine creek rail trail, and someone made a big fuss over shielding their eyes from my headlight. I thought they were overreacting, but then I realized it had been bumped up to point at people's eyes. I still think that person was overreacting, but I was somewhat glad they pointed out my light wasn't pointed correctly.

Flashing white lights are simply not necessary. User should be ticketed.

That person wanted to convey to you how distracting, or at least annoying, your light was and was likely right to assume that a more subtle gesture might not have resulted in your fixing the problem.

Google AI says:

"Yes, flashing front bicycle lights are prohibited in Germany under the StVZO regulations. These regulations mandate that bicycle lights must have a steady, constant beam and not flash or blink. The reasoning is that flashing lights can be distracting to other road users."

So a rider with a flashing front light would be ticketed (at minimum) in Germany, which has a far longer history than the United States of bicycles being used by adults for daily transportation and thus has developed rational guidelines for sharing the roads.

And it's not only flashing lights that can be a problem. A poster here used to have as his signature line something like "I use ungodly bright lights because drivers are dim." Which, sorry to say, is just as self-centered and ultimately ignorant as drivers' "Bikes don't belong on the road" attitude.

Agreed I use the Outbound Detour which is crazy expensive but great light doesn't blind oncoming traffic by design.

Agreed I use the Outbound Detour which is crazy expensive but great light doesn't blind oncoming traffic by design.

I don't use any lights on a trail, but on the road I will due to distracted motorists. I have a 100 lumen strobe on the bar, and a 300 lumen taillight on flash mode on the rear for use while riding on the road in the daytime.

On night rides I amp up the lights.

To put things like Lumens into perspective, I used to commute on a motorcycle years ago before I retired, the H4 headlamp was somewhere in the range of 1200 to 1500 lumens on low or high beam. That was not great at night at highway speeds, but it was adequate for 60 mph.

Oh no sorry, not an opinion. Sorry if you thought that. It is pure fact, I have to close an eye and look away from the flashing light. This is not something I am telling people to do, this is literally what I have to do when essentially attacked by a flashing light.

You have heard someone saying they cannot look at a flashing white light and they have to do something more dangerous to counteract the effects of dangerous lights. I am sure there are other stories out there and I don't care to find them all or talk to everyone because I know it is dangerous and not just an opinion taking focus off of the road while also closing an eye is patently unsafe we know this I don't think anyone is arguing for that.

It is not about the last word it is about being safe and people like yourself put people in unsafe positions because they feel they should be the only ones who are allowed to feel safe. I am sorry but that is just simply not OK in any situation.

The German STVzO standard exists for a reason and I wish it would be adopted by all light makers and people who used the lights also understood that principle. Blinding someone is not good for anyone, that isn't visibility at that point it is just reckless behavior.